


Queen's Checkmate

by blazingEmblem



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Wild Card Makoto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 136,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25509337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blazingEmblem/pseuds/blazingEmblem
Summary: She was captured, drugged, and beaten.Face to face with her own sister.With her life on the line, the founder and leader of the Phantom Thieves, Makoto Niijima, must prove her justice and mend her relationship with Sae... by detailing the events of the past year.A T.V tropes page is available here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/QueensCheckmate
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 459
Kudos: 434





	1. Student Council Prisoner

Justice.

The quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral righteousness.

A very simple word at first glance, but one that everyone had a different interpretation of.

One that had been studied, debated, morphed, and implemented since the dawn of man.

Used to justify numerous systems, but numerous crimes and atrocities as well.

But who decided what was just? A crime?

Was it a majority of their society?

What if they were wrong?

Who decided if they were wrong?

Her, apparently.

Her sense of justice was strong, yet simple.

That strength, that desire to see justice done was the only thing keeping her going…

As pain coursed through her body from numerous bruises.

As the injected drug began to take effect.

As she drifted in and out of unconsciousness…

* * *

“I said wake up!”

She gasped as ice cold water splashed onto her. 

She shivered as the water soaked through her uniform.

Glancing upwards, she saw a police detective glancing down at her, glaring.

The detective began listing her various crimes, handing her a sheet on a clipboard for her to sign.

She had half a mind to take a page from her boyfriend’s book and write down something provocative that she figured he would write in this situation.

Thankfully, she was the leader, not him, so a scenario like that only existed in her mind.

She decided against it, however, and simply gave him a defiant glare, which only seemed to make him angrier.

He slammed his foot down into her leg, causing her to cry out in pain.

“We need your arm to sign this… but I don't care if you lose a leg.” the man threatened. “You’ve caused us a lot trouble, makin’ us look bad…”

So that was it. Revenge. She knew all too well the many morally questionable interrogation methods that didn't involve violence. But this man was just taking his anger out on her.

She glanced upwards, spying a camera in the room, filming them.

The detective scoffed. “Do you really think that's going to help you?”

“No, I don't.” she muttered. “I know that you won't be held responsible for anything that happens to me.”

As if to prove her point, he slapped her across the face- hard.

“Glad you understand.” the man sneered. “I could have a little fun with you right now, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.”

He held out the clipboard once again.

“I would suggest that you cooperate.” the detective said. “We’ve already captured all of your teammates, and one of them already sold you out!”

She couldn't help but let a little bit of fear show on her face.

Had they really captured the others? Mona, Joker, Skull, Fox, Panther, Oracle, Noir, and even Witch? 

“I can’t let him get to me…” she thought. “He could be lying to me. I just… need to… stick to the plan.”

The plan… 

What was the plan again?

She needed to remember.

She took the clipboard from his hands, writing her name with a shaky hand.

Makoto Niijima.

The detective snatched the clipboard from her hand, looked it over, and roughly sat her down at the table.

She already knew what would happen next.

Someone would come in and interrogate her, and she would need to convince that person that the Phantom Thieves were just, and to help them with their crazy plan.

That ‘someone’ being her elder sister.

She wasn't sure if that made her chances better or worse, only that the idea of speaking to her sister in a situation like this filled her with dread.

Although, if she were being honest, any interaction with her sister made her feel this way recently.

As she continued to think about it more, she could have sworn she heard a voice in her head, and a blue butterfly flying near her.

What on Earth did they put in those drugs?

The door to the interrogation room opened, and she nearly froze when she saw who entered.

Prosecutor Sae Niijima.

Her sister.

“It really is you…” Sae whispered, a hint of sadness to her tone. “I thought it had to be some cruel joke.”

“Sis, I-”

“Enough!” Sae snapped, her expression hardening. “Don't think that because you're my sister that I’m going to let you off the hook!”

**Of course not…**

**I’m just a burden to you.**

She needed to calm down. Showing even an ounce of weakness would cause her sister to pounce on it, like a predator stalking its prey.

She saw her sister glance off to the side, scowling when she saw the discarded needle on the floor.

“Bastards…” Sae muttered. “I can't believe they injected that into you.”

**Don't act as if you care.**

**You don't care about justice at all.**

“I can't believe this.” Sae muttered. “A leader of a criminal gang… and a mass murderer.”

“We weren't responsible for any of that.” she insisted. “Sis-

*SLAM*

“Don't call me that!” Sae yelled. “You’ve lost the right to call me your sister!”

Her words were more painful than any physical injuries.

The wounds would heal with time, but even now, her sister's words stung.

**Useless… you think I’m useless...**

“The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can leave.” Sae mentioned. “I can't protect you from the police, so I suggest you answer my questions.”

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

“Names.” Sae said. “I want the names of your teammates.”

“If you're asking for their names, I assume they all got away?” she asked.

“...Yes, they did.” Sae admitted. “So, you’re not going to tell me who they are?”

“I won't betray my team.” she said.

Sae let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before bringing out a file.

“Then we’ll get back to that later. Moving on, the first target of the Phantom Thieves was your gym teacher.” Sae stated. “You remember that, don't you?”

Sae had a look of disgust on her face as she went over the incident, although whether it was for her or their target, she couldn't tell.

“I remember.” she replied. “That was Kamoshida.”

“And you targeted him in April, correct?”

“That's right.”

“Then I want you to tell everything, from the beginning, on how exactly this incident occurred.” Sae requested.

She nodded. “It began on the tenth of April…”

* * *

**_4/10 - Sunday_ **

“Where… am I?”

She opened her eyes, only to find herself inside of a cell.

“W-What on Earth?!” she gasped.

She glanced downwards, gasping again when she saw she was dressed in a prison uniform, and had a ball and chain attached to her foot.

“Good, you’re finally awake.” a soft female voice said.

She whipped around, seeing two little girls dressed in police uniform and eyepatches.

“Quit gawking, inmate!” another, more aggressive female voice said.

“W-Who are you?!” she stammered.

A deep chuckled startled her, and she looked behind the two little girls to see a long-nosed man sitting at a desk, a wicked grin on his face.

“Welcome to my Velvet Room.” the man said.

“A-Are you a kidnapper?” she stammered. “Y-You won't get away with this! My sister's a prosecutor, and I know aikido to defend myself!”

“Quiet, inmate!” the more aggressive girl shouted. “How dare you speak to our master like that!”

“We would ask that you allow our master to explain why you are here.” the calmer girl requested.

Master? What on Earth was going on here?!

The man gave another deep chuckle. “I am Igor, and these are your wardens, Caroline and Justine.”

“You’d better not forget, Inmate!” Caroline exclaimed, slamming her baton on the bars of her cell.

“B-But how did I get here in the first place?!” she exclaimed. “Did you take me here?!

“The Velvet Room exists between mind and matter, dream and reality.” Igor explained. “Right now, the real you is still sleeping.

Sleeping… So was she in a dream? 

But she felt so in control. This felt so real.

“But how do I get into this prison?” Makoto asked. “Can’t you let me out?”

“The Velvet room reflects the heart of the user.” Justine clarified. “You should know why you are in chains.”

“I don’t understand...” she muttered, shaking her head. “I’m not a criminal. So why am I tied down like this…?”

“It seems that you are indeed a prisoner of fate.” Igor stated. “And soon, ruin shall befall all.”

“What does that mean?!”

“There is no need to worry.” Igor responded, curling his lips. “Should you be rehabilitated, you shall have the freedom you desire.”

“None of this makes any sense!” she cried out. “Ruin? Destruction? What do you mean?!”

“Night wanes… it seems our time is at an end.” Igor affirmed. “But I assure you, we shall meet again.”

“It is time to go back to sleep.” Justine insisted.

“And next time treat our master with respect!” Caroline demanded, smacking the bars again.

Before she could say anything else, she fell to her knees, feeling as if the entire world was spinning around her…

* * *

She opened her eyes, finding herself back in her room. “Was that really just a dream…?”

She took a moment to take in her surroundings.

She glanced at her clock, seeing she had woken up a few minutes before her alarm rang.

She must have twisted and turned a lot during her dream. Poor Buchi-kun had been knocked to the floor.

She checked her phone, narrowing her eyes at the strange new app on it.

She didn't remember installing it, so she simply deleted it before going about her day. 

“Makoto, are you up?”

She glanced over at her sister, looking at her laptop, no doubt at something work related.

“Good morning, Sis.” she greeted. “Did you need anything?”

“I have to head into work now.” Sae answered. “Could you pick up some groceries? I left some money and a list on the table.”

“Of course.” she nodded.

“Good.” Sae nodded. “I’ll see you tonight. Make sure you get some studying in.”

“I will.” she responded.

After saying goodbye to her sister, she went through her morning routine before heading out.

Running various errands in and out of the house was nothing new to her. Her sister worked so hard to support her, so she had done everything she could, including learning how to cook and clean, to help out.

The last thing she wanted was to be a burden.

* * *

She walked to the subway, arriving a few minutes early just in case.

She got onto the train, which thankfully wasn't too crowded, and grabbed onto one of the free handles.

As the train approached its destination, she used her other hand to look at the shopping list that Sae had left for her.

Soap

Salt

Coffee

As well as…

“Ah!” she cried out, a sudden jerking motion causing her to drop the list, and nearly lose her balance.

Glancing around, she saw that the other passengers on the train were beginning to lose their balance as well.

“What's going on?!”

The train’s out of control!”

“We’re going to crash!”

“Crash?!” she frantically thought. “What do I do?!”

She desperately looked all over the train for something to help her.

A loud, booming noise was the last thing she heard before being flung from her feet, falling to the ground, and slipping into unconsciousness.


	2. Sidetracked

...er here!

...ome help!

...ll alive.

She could hear snippets of a conversation, barely able to make out what was being said between her aching head and her ringing ears.

She slowly opened her eyes, seeing a middle aged man in a police uniform bent down in front of her. 

He looked down at her with dark brown eyes, that, along with his grey hair, showed his age.

“Good, you’re awake.” the officer said. “Can you stand?”

Not trusting her voice at the moment, she slowly picked herself off the ground.

The officer nodded. “Just… don't look around, ok? I’ll take you to safety.”

He began to lead her towards the front of the train.

Against her better judgment, she stole a glance at her surroundings.

Bodies…

Young, old, men, women, children.

Bodies everywhere.

She quickly shut her eyes again, resisting the urge to throw up as the officer helped her off the train.

She saw another two police escorting the train engineer.

There didn't seem to be any life in his eyes, and a strange black ooze flowed from his mouth sent a shiver down her spine.

The officer led her to a small group of other survivors.

There had been at least a hundred people on that train.

Only a handful had survived…

“What’s your name, kid?” the officer asked.

“M-Makoto Niijima.” she whispered.

It might just have been her imagination, but she thought she saw the officer’s eyes widen.

“Ok…” he muttered. “Then let's get into contact with a family member.”

* * *

“The engineer survived despite his injuries but was not able to explain his actions.” the reporter announced. “The police are currently looking for a possible motive.”

“Those subway tracks have been deteriorating for some time.” her boss muttered. “Seems that the Ministry of Transport turned a blind eye.”

“Is that all it is, I wonder?” Sae wondered aloud.

They both glanced at the television, where the reporter showed numerous other similar incidents.

“You think it’s all connected, then?” the SIU director asked.

“These incidents have been happening more and more frequently as of late.” she pointed out. “Even the driver said he had no idea why he accelerated. It's just like…”

Her boss sighed. “Like your father’s incident, then.”

“It's been three years since these incidents started to occur.” Sae mused.

Her phone started ringing, stopping her from thinking about it any further.

“Apologizes.” she quickly said to her boss as she answered the call.

“Hello… What?! Makoto was… ok, I’ll be right there!”

She quickly hung up, turning to face her boss.

“I have to go, Sir.” she excused.

“Don't you have a meeting to attend?” the man asked.

“It's an emergency!” she exclaimed. “Makoto was on that train!”

She quickly rushed out the door before her boss could ask any more questions.

The SIU director sighed, leaning back into his chair.

He wasn't exactly a superstitious man, but he was beginning to believe that family was cursed.

* * *

She sat there, shaking, trying to get the images of the bodies and the engineer out of her mind.

“Makoto!”

She whipped her head around, seeing her sister running towards her.

“Sis!”

She immediately ran up to her elder sister and hugged her.

“I-I-”

“Shh… It's ok, Makoto.” Sae whispered. “Let's go home.” 

She turned around to thank the officer that had helped her, only to find that he was gone…

* * *

The drive home was a quiet one, but as soon as they got home, Sae sat her down and questioned her.

“Are you sure that you’re ok?”

“I might bruise later, but I’m… ok.” she responded.

“Are you sure?” Sae asked. “What exactly happened?”

“I’m not sure.” she admitted. “One moment, everything was fine, but then the train started going much faster, and we crashed. There were… so many bodies… and...”

She felt her sister place her hand on her shoulder.

“Are you really ok?” Sae asked, concerned.

She needed to be strong.

She needed to be strong.

“Y-Yes.” she stammered. “It’s just… the engineer…”

“What about him?”

“What I saw him… he had a dead look in his eyes… and a weird black ooze flowing from his mouth.”

“I see…” Sae trailed off. “It’s just like…”

“Hmm?”

Sae shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

“I wasn’t able to get the groceries…”

“Don’t worry about that.” Sae dismissed. “Do you think that you’ll be able to go to school tomorrow?”

She still felt a little shaken up, but… she knew how important school and studies were, as her sister had often told her.

“I… I’ll be ok.” she promised.

“I’ll drive you to school tomorrow, then.” Sae offered.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I know that you have work.”

“It’s fine.” Sae insisted. “Why don’t you get some rest? You must be exhausted.”

She nodded, heading to her room to turn in for the day.

She checked her phone one last time before bed, only to find the same app from this morning was back on her phone.

“Didn’t I delete this before?” she muttered.

Once again, she deleted the app, plopping down onto bed, drifting to sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

**4/11 Monday**

“Thanks again for this, sis.” she expressed, thankful for the ride to school, especially since it was raining.

“It’s no trouble.” Sae responded. “Anything been happening at school?”

“Well, we’re getting a few new transfer students.” she answered. “But one of them is…”

“A criminal. You told me.” Sae grumbled. “I don’t know what they’re thinking, letting someone like that into Shujin.”

As the student council president, she had been informed of his record beforehand. 

“He assaulted someone, correct?” Sae asked. “Just don’t get involved with people like him, and-”

“Focus on my studies, I know.” she finished.

Sae nodded, dropping her off in front of her school and saying goodbye.

As she walked towards the front steps, she saw her gym instructor, Suguru Kamoshida, holding a stack of papers and greeting students that walked by with a massive grin on his face.

...Or at least, he was smiling until a male student with black, messy hair passed in front of him. She saw Kamoshida scowl, and they had a short conversation before the student went into the building.

As she approached, however, his expression shifted almost unnaturally quickly.

“Ah, Niijima-san!” Kamoshida greeted. “Good morning!”

“Good morning.” she greeted back. 

“Say, you heard about the train incident the other day, didn’t you?” Kamoshida asked.

“...Yes, I did.” she nodded.

“There sure have been a lot of dangerous incidents lately, hasn't there?” Kamoshida noted. “You know, I’d be happy to give you a ride anytime.”

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.” she answered. “My sister drove me to school today.”

“Well, the offer is always open.” Kamoshida grinned.

His eyes widened as one of the papers he was carrying dropped to the ground.

“Could you get that for me, Niijima-san?” Kamoshida asked.

“Of course.” she nodded, bending over to grab the paper and handed it back to him.

“Thanks.” Kamoshida said, suddenly a massive grin on his face. “By the way, the principal wanted to see you before class.”

“He does?” she asked. “I’ll be right with him, then.”

She walked into the school, making her way to the Principal Kobayakawa’s office and knocking on the door.

“Come in, come in!” a deep voice called.

“You called for me, sir?” she asked.

“Niijima-san!” the principal grinned. “I had something very important to ask of you.”

“What can I do for you, sir?” she inquired.

“You recall the transfer student that I informed you of, yes?” Kobayakawa asked. “The one with the record?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The reason that we admitted him to this school is we believe that we can reform him.” he explained. “And part of that has to do with his academics. I was hoping that you would be able to assist in that regard.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“I was hoping that you’d be able to tutor him after school.” the principal said.

“T-Tutor him?” she stammered. “W-Well…”

“It would look very good for the school, and you as well, if we were able to reform a criminal such as him.” he brought up. “We would appreciate it if you were to do your part.”

“Sir, I’m not really sure about this…”

“You’ve performed excellently these past two years.” the man frowned. “I would hate to see you falter now, with university right around the corner for you…”

That was true. She wanted to do everything that she could to help her get into a good college, and something like this would help…

It was a little worrying, but she would do as she was told, lest she trouble the principal.

“Very well. I’ll tutor him.” she agreed, forcing a smile. “We can study in the library.”

“Wonderful!” Kobayakawa smiled. “Let’s begin today then. I’ll make sure his teachers inform him.”

“Would that be all, then?” she asked.

He nodded, sending her off to class.

Before she could actually reach her class, however…

“Niijima-san! Niijima-san!”

She turned around, seeing a female student running up to her.

She wore the standard student uniform, had long black hair, and red rimmed glasses.

“Have you heard about this?!” the student asked, holding out a newspaper. “As the star member of the newspaper club, I made it myself!”

“We have a newspaper club?” she mused.

She took the newspaper, only to gasp at its content.

**A criminal at Shujin?! The truth behind the new transfer student!**

The article went into detail about the transfer student’s record, something she shouldn't have known about.

“How did you find out about this?!” Makoto hissed.

“E-Everyone at Shujin’s been talking about it!” the girl stammered.

“Then someone must have leaked his record…” she concluded.

“I-I guess so…”

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention, um…”

“Takayo Tachibana!” she greeted. “And no problem, Niijima-san! I wouldn't want anyone getting involved with someone like that!”

“Right…”

She thanked Takayo once again before heading to class.

* * *

For once, she found herself struggling to concentrate on classes. Between the train incident, her tutoring appointment, and the leaked records, she found it difficult to pay attention.

Thankfully, her instructors didn't seem to notice, and before she knew it, classes were over for the day.

She made her way to the library, only to find that the transfer student wasn't there.

Was he not going to come? Principal Kobayakawa could hardly blame her if he was a no show. Honestly, what was he thinking, having her tutor him? She could defend herself, sure, but he had assaulted someone.

“Excuse me.”

She hastily turned around, seeing the same messy haired boy from outside.

“Do you know where I can find Makoto Niijima?” he asked.

“That would be me.” she responded. “I assume you’re Ren Amamiya?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” he nodded. “Thank you for taking the time to teach me, Niijima-senpai.”

She was a little surprised, but appreciative, of his politeness.

Aside from maybe his hair, nothing about him screamed ‘delinquent’. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but he looked normal.

“You’re welcome.” she replied. “Let’s find a table and begin, then.”

They sat down at a nearby table, beginning to unpack their textbooks. 

“Cute pencil case.”

“H-Huh?”

He pointed to the cute, fluffy panda design on them.

“It’s… Buchimaru…” she whispered, a little embarrassed.

As much as she wanted to come across as mature and responsible, she couldn’t help but continue to use the old pencil case her father had gifted her more than a decade ago.

They pulled out the rest of their things, but before they could get any studying done...

“Hey, is that the transfer student with the student council president?”

“Niijima-san should be careful. I heard he’s a Yakuza member!”

“I heard he carries a knife everywhere he goes.”

“I heard he’s an elephant tusk trafficker.” 

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Rumors here spread far too quickly.

“Rather loud for a library, huh?”

She glanced over at Ren, who forced a slight chuckle at his own words.

For some reason, he was still smiling.

A part of her was worried about being alone in the same room as him, but she had promised the principal that she would tutor him.

“Would… you like to go somewhere quieter?” she offered.

“Ok.” he shrugged. “Lead the way, Niijima-senpai.”

She brought him over to the student council room, trying her best to ignore the whispers from the students who saw them.

“What’s this room?” Ren asked.

“The student council room. I’m the student council president, so I have the key to it.” she explained.

“It's a lot quieter in here.” Ren noted. “Guess we can finally get some work done.”

They brought out their textbooks, and much to her surprise, he seemed to have a decent grasp of the material. He still needed help on some of it, but he managed to make a good amount of progress.

Still, she couldn’t let her guard down. He was still a criminal, after all.

Eventually, she noticed he was beginning to slow down.

“Want to take a small break?” she asked.

He took a deep breath, putting down his pencil. “Yeah, a break sounds good.”

After they had put their notes to the side, she figured that now would be a good time to ask about the rumors.

“About your record…”

“...I think we should focus on studying.” he insisted.

“They told me about your actual record, you know?” she said. 

“Oh…”

As an awkward silence fell over the two of them, she looked at the time on her phone, only to find that app still on there.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she tapped it, only for it to ask her for a name.

“Shouldn’t we get back to studying?” Ren asked, a little forcefully.

She put her phone away, planning to look at the app more later.

Right now, she needed to find out how everyone found out about his record, and report to the principal.

“Before that, I want to know if you told anyone about your record.” she inquired.

“No. Why?”

“I was wondering how it leaked.” she answered.

“I think that it was a staff member.” he theorized.

“What?!” she gasped. “There's no way a staff member would leak your record!”

“So… did you do it, then?”

“Why are you accusing me?!” she exclaimed.

“Well, the only people who knew were you and the staff members, so…” he trailed off.

“That's… true.” she admitted. “Then I suppose it would have to be a staff member. But why would they do such a thing?”

“Sure it wasn't you?” Ren smirked.

“Oh, hush!”

Ren let out a chuckle before his expression turned serious.

“That gym teacher, Suguru Kamoshida… I think he might have done it.” Ren said.

“Why do you suspect him?” she wondered. 

“I’m pretty sure that he doesn't like me.” Ren told her. “He was scowling at me this morning. And… he gives me skeevy vibes…”

“There are a few… unsavory rumors about him, I’ll admit. But I try not to pay them any attention.” Makoto explained.

“Why not?”

“He’s an adult; an authority figure.” she explained.

“Why does that matter?” Ren wondered. “If he’s acting like a pervert or a jerk towards students, shouldn’t that be investigated?”

“I told you, they’re rumors.” she argued, narrowing her eyes. “I’m surprised that you’re so willing to believe them, considering you’re a victim of rumors.”

“I didn’t say we should instantly believe the rumors, just investigate.” Ren countered.

“We’re in no position to question him.” she pointed out.

“Then what’s the point of being the student council president, if not representing and protecting the student body at Shujin Academy?” Ren asked.

She paused. On one hand, who did he think he was, coming in here with a criminal record, and saying things like that on his first day?! On the other hand, a staff member had, at the very least, leaked his criminal record, and possibly more...

“The members of the volleyball team… after practice, they’re always covered in bruises.” she recalled. “They claim it’s just special training, but…”

“Does that sound normal?” he asked.

“No, but-”

“I was talking to another student.” Ren mentioned. “He kinda looked like an athlete himself.”

“Who was it?”

“Ryuji Sakamoto was his name.” Ren told her.

“He’s a troublemaker…” Makoto sighed.

“...Well, he told me that Kamoshida views this school like his own castle.” Ren recalled. “If that’s true, I could see him thinking that he could get away with whatever he wanted.”

“We shouldn’t be talking about an adult like this.” Makoto stressed. “We should just be getting back to our studies.”

She should just ignore him. He was just trying to turn her against the staff. Why should she listen to a delinquent like him?

“N-Niijima-sempai…” Ren muttered.

“What now?”

“W-What’s going on with the sky?!”

She looked out the window, only to be met with a dark, purple sky…

And that Shujin Academy had been transformed into a giant castle.


	3. Charge, Johanna!

“Where are we…?” she muttered. “This isn't normal!”

“So this isn’t normal city weather?” Ren mumbled.

“Be serious!” she scolded. “We need to ask someone what's going on.”

Ren opened the door, both of them stepping outside, only to be met with a fancy, carpeted hallway, with suits of armor along the walls.

Just what was all of this?! Was this a dream? Was she hallucinating? Was she losing her mind?!

“W-What the hell is this?!” Ren stammered. “It's like we're in some kind of medieval castle.”

She took a deep breath.

“I need to calm down.” she thought. “I’m the older one, and… it's my responsibility to protect the student body.”

“Calm down, ok?” she said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of th-”

“Who's there?!”

They both whipped around, seeing a large medieval silver-clad knight, armed with sword and shield.

“An intruder!” the knight shouted, suddenly charging at them.

“What the-”

“Run for it!” she yelled, grabbing him by the hand and running down the hall.

However, it wasn't long before another knight, clad in golden armor, blocked their path.

“Niijima-san?” the knight questioned. “What are you doing out of your quarters?”

“My quarters?” she repeated.

“And you!” the knight roared, pointing his sword at Ren. “What are you doing here?!”

They tried to run away, only to find the silver knight from before blocking their path.

“What should we do with these two?” the silver knight asked.

“Don't harm the girl.” The gold knight asked. “As for the boy…”

“Shall I execute him?” the silver knight asked, reading his sword.

Execute?! Had she heard him right?!

“W-Wait, hold on!” Ren stuttered.

“Quiet!” the golden knight yelled, slamming his shield into Ren, knocking him to the ground.

“A-Amamiya-kun!” she cried.

“Bring these two to a cell and wait for King Kamoshida’s orders.” the golden knight ordered.

Kamoshida?!

“Let go of me!” she screamed as the other knight grabbed her.

But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape the knight’s grasp, their grip inhumanly strong.

“N-Niijima-sen-GAH!”

The golden knight kicked Ren hard in the stomach.

“I thought I told you to be quiet!” the knight yelled.

The silver knight grabbed both of them, dragging them away…

* * *

They found themselves in a dark cell. Ren was lying on the bed, but she found herself chained to a wall.

“Are you ok, Amamiya-kun?” she asked.

“Not really…” he groaned, clutching his stomach. “But I’ll live. What about you? Hanging in there?”

She frowned. “That’s not funny.”

“My bad.”

He slowly got up from the bed to look outside of the cell.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Trying to see if there’s anyone to help us out of here.” Ren muttered. “Wherever here is, anyway.”

“AAAAAAAH!”

Bone chilling screams filled the air, shocking both of them.

“W-What was that…?” Makoto stammered.

“T-Those knights… didn’t they mention execution?!” Ren exclaimed. “You don’t think....”

“S-Stay calm!” Makoto demanded, her voice trembling. “We need to find a way out of here!”

“R-Right.” Ren agreed, quickly looking around the cell for anything that would help them escape.

Unfortunately, nothing Ren found helped them in any way, and it wasn’t long before the sound of footsteps alerted them to the returning silver knight.

“Your punishment has been decided, criminal.” the silver knight stated to Ren. “For the crime of unlawful entry, you shall be sentenced to death.”

“You can’t do this!” she cried.

“We didn’t even mean to come here!” Ren protested.

“That doesn’t matter. This is my castle, and I make the rules!”

Both of them directed their attention to the new voice.

“H-Huh? Kamoshida, is that you?” Makoto muttered in disbelief.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Ren questioned, disturbed by his outfit.

Instead of his normal gym attire, Kamoshida wore a crown, a red cape covered in hearts… and a pink speedo.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t the criminal transfer student.” Kamoshida scoffed. “I guess leaking your record wasn’t enough to drive you away. I guess I’ll have to use a more… permanent way to get rid of you.”

“So you were the one who did it!” Ren glared.

“...And Niijima-san.” Kamoshida grumbled, ignoring Ren. “I’m surprised you tried to escape. Normally you’re so good at shutting up and doing what you’re told.”

“W-What?” she gasped.

“That’s why you’re one of my favorites.” Kamoshida said, a lecherous grin on his face. “All the women in my castle should just do as they’re told.”

He brought a hand to her cheek, brushing away a strand of hair as she shivered in disgust.

Hundreds of red flags were going off in her head at once right now. Her father and older sister had warned her countless times about predators like this.

She had to do something!

“Get your hands off of her!” Ren yelled, charging forward only to be grabbed by the knight.

“How dare you try and harm King Kamoshida!” the silver knight shouted, slamming Ren into the wall.

“Amamiya-kun!” Makoto screamed, seeing the knight ready to bring their sword down.

Just as the knight was about to slice him in two, however, Kamoshida held out a hand, signaling them to stop.

“Hold off on the exception for now.” Kamoshida ordered. “A brilliant idea just came to me.”

“Y-You can’t do this!” Makoto exclaimed. “The Shujin staff will find out, and they’ll call the police to-”

“Ha! You may be book smart, but you’re hilariously naive.” Kamoshida mocked. “The staff are the ones who gave me this power in the first place! I can do whatever the hell I want, and no one, not even the police, can stop me!”

“That can’t be!” Makoto denied. “The staff knows…?”

“The sports teams are my slaves, and every girl at Shujin is mine to do with as I please.” Kamoshida smirked. “Everyone in this castle is my subject, so I can beat or touch whoever I want!”

She felt as if her entire world was collapsing around her. He was supposed to be a trusted authority figure. He was in charge of the wellbeing of children! How could he abuse his authority in such a way?! How could the school just look the other way?!

_“Are you tired of blindly following orders?”_

Her eyes widened, an unknown, yet familiar voice speaking to her.

“Tell you what… you gave me quite a view this morning when you bent down to grab my paper.” Kamoshida said, ogling her body. “I never realized how much of your assets that school uniform hid.”

“You dropped that paper on purpose…” she muttered, gritting her teeth.

“You should feel honored that you caught my attention.” Kamoshida claimed. “I would love to make you mine. Offer your body to me, and I might be willing to spare the life of this criminal.”

“Nijjima-senpai… don’t.” Ren rasped, which earned him another kick to the stomach.

“Aren’t I a generous king?” Kamoshida asked.

She clenched her fists.

“Come on, Makoto-chan.” Kamoshida leered. “Be a good girl and do as you’re told.”

“Do as I’m told…?” she repeated, her voice shaking with rage.

Kamoshida leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear.

“Well? What do you think?”

“I think… THAT YOU SHOULD GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE, YOU DAMN PERVERT!” she snapped, headbutting him as hard as she could.

Kamoshida fell to the floor, clutching his nose in pain.

_“So, you’ve decided to follow the path of strife?”_ the voice in her head spoke. _“To pursue your sense of justice?”_

“Yes… come to me!”

_“Very well. Then let us proceed with the contract at once.”_

Her eyes instantly turned yellow, and she felt as if her head was being split in two.

She cried out in pain as she tried to grip her head. Her struggles grew stronger and stronger and stronger… until the chains binding her snapped, breaking from the stone wall behind her.

She clutched at her aching head, the voice ringing once more.

_“I am thou, thou art I… though your act of rebellion, you have found your sense of justice. Please, never lose sight of it again.”_

She cried out in pain, slamming her foot into the stone floor, breaking it.

She needed to keep fighting. To save her fellow student. To stop Kamoshida.

_“This memorable day marks your graduation from your false self…”_

A metallic iron mask materialized onto her face, only adding more to the already intense pain she felt.

She instinctively reached for the mask, trying to rip it off even if it felt like she was ripping her skin off with it.

“What are you fools doing?!” Kamoshida roared. “That bitch attacked me! Kill her!”

As the knights charged towards her, she finally managed to rip off her mask, sending out a large shockwave that knocked the knights to the ground.

A pillar of brilliant blue flames enveloped her, burning away the blood on her face and forcing the knights back.

“W-What the hell…?” Ren stammered.

When the flames began to dissipate, she found that she was no longer wearing her school uniform, but skintight black leather, adorned with spikes on her shoulders and knees, and a long scarf bellowing in the air.

Her feet were no longer planted on the ground, but instead on the pedal of a shining blue motorcycle with a woman's face beneath the windshield.

Ren watched in awe as chains and flames danced around her and her bike.

“I’m not going to follow your orders anymore!” she yelled, glaring down at Kamoshida.

“G-Guards! Don’t just stand there!” Kamoshida desperately called. “Kill her!”

Kamoshida ran out of the cell as fast as he could, while one of the knights dissolved into a black ooze before reforming into a pumpkin headed creature holding a lantern.

“Out of my way!” Makoto shouted, ramming into the strange creature.

It fell to the ground, but quickly recovered, shaking its lantern as it prepared for an attack.

“Frei!” she shouted, letting loose a shimmering blue blast of energy, blowing the enemy apart.

Hearing more knights approaching, she turned towards Ren and extended her hand.

“Get on and hold tight!”

“W-Wait!” Ren stammered. “Won't I have to hold on to your-”

“Hurry up, they're coming!” Makoto shouted.

“O-Ok, ok!” Ren replied, taking her hand up to her bike.

“You sure you know how to drive this?” Ren asked, placing his hands on her waist.

“It… can’t be much different than a car, can it?”

Ren gulped, already dreading the coming ride.

* * *

She drove around at incredible speeds, expertly taking corners at if she had done it her whole life.

Finally, she found a secluded part of the prison to park in.

“I think we lost them.” Makoto said.

“Yeah, and I think I lost ten years off of my life.” Ren muttered.

“Um… Amamiya-kun? You can let go now.” Makoto told him, his hands still on her waist.

“O-Oh, right.” Ren muttered, removing his hands and looking away.

“Amamiya-kun, is everything alright?” Makoto asked. “Your face is bright red.”

“J-Just tired, I guess.” he excused.

She nodded her head. “No doubt. Today's been utterly exhausting.”

She glanced over at his hand, gasping.

“Your hand!” she exclaimed, pointed to a gash on his hand.

“I-I didn’t even notice!” Ren spluttered. “They must have cut me at some point…”

“You didn’t notice? Must be the adrenaline…” Makoto noted.

She took his hand in her own, looking over the wound.

“Dia.” she whispered to herself.

A shining green light blanketed Ren, and much to their amazement, the wound on Ren’s hand began to close.

“Incredible.” Ren said, giving a sigh in relief. “Even my chest and stomach feel better now. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.” Makoto admitted. “It’s like the power just came to me when I wanted to heal you. To be honest, I’m starting to think that this entire world is just me hallucinating from stress.”

“Well, if it is, I guess we’re having the same hallucination.” Ren chucked.

The two stood there in silence for a few moments before Ren gave her an odd look.

“Um… Niijima-senpai? You can let go now.” Ren told her, her hands still holding his.

“O-Oh, right.” Makoto muttered, looking away.

“Hey, is anyone there?!”

A boyish voice cried out from a nearby cell.

“Another prisoner?” Makoto asked.

“Let's check it out.” Ren suggested.

They both ran to the cell, doing a double take at what they saw.

“Thank goodness! I thought I was the only human here!”

“Umm…Amamiya-kun?” Makoto said, nudging him. “Is that a…?”

“...A talking cat.” Ren finished.

A black and white cat with a large head stared at them from the other side of the cell.

It looked like a mascot from the cute children's cartoons she enjoyed as a little girl (and secretly still enjoyed now).

“Looks like Kamoshida’s abusing animals too.” Ren scowled.

The cat’s expression turned aghast, and he pounced on the call bars, shaking them.

“Who are you calling an animal, frizzy hair?!” the cat angrily yelled.

Makoto dropped to her knees, curling up into a ball.

“I must be going insane.” she whimpered. “The castle, those knights, the motorcycle, and now a talking cat?! What if I’m having one of those psychotic breakdowns?!”

“I’m not a… wait, you know about the psychotic breakdowns?” the strange creature asked.

“They're all over the news.” Ren told him.

“I see… well, either way, that's not what's happening.” the cat claimed. “You’re just in a palace.”

“Uh, yeah, we already knew that.” Ren responded.

“No, I mean that a ‘palace’ is a world where someone’s distorted desires materialize.” the cat explained.

“So… we’re not in our world anymore?” Ren asked. “This is like… what's in Kamoshida's head?”

“We're seeing the world as he sees it.” Makoto stated. “He thinks that he’s a king, and that the school is his castle. Is that it?”

“Hey hey, you two are smarter than you look.” the cat complimented. “You’ve got the gist of it. You're right, this isn't your world. It's part of the Metaverse.”

“That's still not exactly comforting.” Makoto sighed. “How exactly do we get out of here?”

“I’ll show you the way out, but you need to bust me out of here first.” the feline promised.

“Maybe you could use those powers you used on that Jack-o'-Lantern.” Ren proposed.

“Powers?” the cat repeated.

“Stand back.” Makoto warned. “Johanna!”

She fired another ball of blue light, disintegrating the cell bars.

“W-Woah, you have a Persona too?!” the feline exclaimed.

“A… Persona?” Makoto repeated.

The feline nodded. “That Persona, as well as your outfit, is a manifestation of your rebellious spirit.”

“So, that outfit…” Ren said before chuckling to himself. “Didn’t know you were secretly some badass biker!”

“B-Be quiet! C-Can we change the subject please?!” Makoto insisted, suddenly very self-conscious of how skintight her outfit was.

It wasn't her fault that movies about Yakuza and motorcycle gangs were some of the coolest things ever!

Makoto turned towards the strange monster cat.

“How do you know this, um-”

“Morgana.” he introduced himself. “And I know because I have a Persona myself.”

“So, if your outfit is based on your idea of a rebel…” Ren muttered, looking over Morgana.

“What?”

“...Well, I guess cats can be rebellious.” Ren smirked.

“T-That’s just a coincidence!” Morgana insisted. “Just because I look like a cat doesn’t mean I am one!”

“Heads up!” Makoto called, interrupting their spat. “The guards must have heard that explosion!”

Right as he said that, another Jack-o'-Lantern flew towards them, followed by winged imp with a very… phallic looking horn.

“Hey, you can fight right?” Morgana asked. “Then I’ll back you up!”

Morgana took out a sword, pointing it towards the foes in front of him.

“Zorro, show your might!” the feline called, a muscular masked man appearing behind him.

“Garu!” Morgana shouted, sending a gust of wind towards the Jack-o'-Lantern, knocking it down before destroying it with another gust of wind.

“Alright, your turn!” Morgana shouted.

She narrowed her eyes on the enemy, concentrating. “Johanna!” she cried, summoning her Persona before slamming into the winged demon, destroying it.

As soon as both foes were defeated, her outfit disappeared, and she clutched her chest in pain.

“Looks like you don’t have full control yet.” Morgana commented. “And be careful with those physical moves. Those hurt you too.”

He reached into the pouch on his waist.

“Thankfully, I have this.” Morgana said, pouring some medicine on and instantly healing her.

“So, should I stick to my Frei spells?” she asked.

“You’ll run out of those eventually.” Morgana explained.

“Then we can’t afford to get into too many battles. We’ll have to be stealthy if we want to get out of here.” Ren added.

“Good thinking, frizzy hair.” Morgana grinned.

She gave a confidant grin.

“Don’t worry, stealth shouldn't be a problem.” Makoto proudly said. “I grabbed a book in the room we were in earlier.”

“How does that help?” the not cat asked.

She hid her face behind the book, slowly walking forward, occasionally peeking for enemies.

“Get back here!” Morgana hissed. “That’s not stealthy at all!”

“O-Oh!” Makoto gasped. “Is it really that bad?”

She still hid behind her book, only now it was to hide the embarrassed blush on her face.

Peeking over her book, she saw Ren trying to hold back his laughter.

“H-Hey, Morgana, where’d Niijima-senpai go?” he snickered. “I can't see her _anywhere_.”

“Oooooh, you are the worst!” she cried out.

“We’ll just have to keep a lookout.” Morgana told them. “Luckily for you two, I’m a master of stealth.”

“Didn't you get caught?” Ren asked.

“Can it, Frizzy Hair.”

* * *

Morgana led them through the prison, all three of them keeping an eye out for any patrolling guards.

Dread filled her as they passed by the cells, numerous familiar faces lying bruised and bloody on the floor.

“These students… they're all part of our sports teams.”

“Those are just part of that Kamoshida guy’s cognition.” Morgana clarified. “Just ignore them.”

“But if they're getting abused here, then they're probably being abused in the real world too.” Ren assumed.

“Why didn't anyone tell me?” Makoto frowned.

“Come on, we’re almost there!” Morgana encouraged, leading them to a hallway with a set of doors.

Ren tried the door on the right, only to find it locked. Then they glanced into the left room.

“It's empty.” she noted. “Did we hit a dead end?”

Morgana shook his head. “Look up there!”

Morgana directed their attention to a grate above a bookshelf.

“A ventilation shaft?” Ren questioned. “You want us to go through that?”

“You catch on quick!” Morgana praised. “Climb through that, and you two will be out of here in no time.”

“What about you?” Ren wondered.

“I still have some unfinished business to take care of here.” Morgana said in a serious tone.

“Thank you for helping us. Be safe.” Makoto expressed.

She climbed atop the bookshelf, removed the grate, and hopped inside, Ren following after her.

As soon as he was sure they were out of earshot, Morgana began muttering to himself.

“If my intuition is correct, those two might prove to be really useful…”

When they returned to the real world, they found themselves right outside of the school.

“T-That… was intense.” Makoto panted, feeling utterly exhausted.

“Y-Yeah.” Ren agreed. “I think… I’ll grab something from the vending machine. You want anything?”

“Is there anything with low sugar, low carbs, and no artificial flavors?” she asked.

“...Water.”

“That… sounds great, actually.” she panted.

Ren came back a few moments later, handing her a bottle of water while he drank a can of soda.

“Shoot, Sakamoto-san texted me earlier.” Ren muttered. “I told him I’d meet with him earlier.”

Remembering her sister, she quickly checked her own phone.

Thankfully, she didn't hold her up. Her sister had texted her saying she wouldn't be able to pick her up, and that she’d be spending the night at work.

An event that had become increasingly common as of late.

“What the heck is this?” Ren muttered.

“What is it?”

“There’s this weird app on my phone that I don’t remember downloading.” Ren told her.

He showed his phone to her, showing her the app that was all too familiar to her at this point.

“Hey, I have that app too!” she told him. “It just showed up on my own phone a day or two ago”

“It says it’s called the Metaverse Navigator.” Ren read.

“Metaverse… wasn’t that the place Morgana said we were in?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Ren confirmed. “So, I guess this app is the key to getting back into that place, right?”

“Yes…”

“Niijima-senpai, do you… want to go back there?” he asked.

“Yes, I do.” she confessed. “I know that it’s dangerous, but if Kamoshida really is… doing these awful things to students, then I need to do something.”

“Same here.” Ren smiled. “I don’t like leaving things half-finished.”

“Then I suppose we’re in this together.” she smiled. “To be honest, I’m glad you’re there with me. I’m amazed at how well you managed to keep your cool.”

“Well, it wasn’t my first time in a cell.” Ren joked.

“Oh…”

Ren frowned, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry. That was a bad joke. Anyway, can I have your number?”

“W-W-What?!”

He tilted his head in confusion. “I wanted a way to keep in touch with you to talk about the Metaverse… and studying too, I guess.”

“O-Oh, right, of course.” she realized.

They quickly exchanged contact information.

“Meet me in the student council room after school tomorrow.” she asked. “We’ll go over our plan there.”

Ren nodded, and the two decided to head home.

As she made her way to the subway station, fear started to grip her. The last time she took the subway, she…

She shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. She couldn’t keep relying on her sister.

She was a Niijima.

She needed to be strong.

**Date Unknown**

**Interrogation Room**

Strong…

She… needed… to be strong...

“A castle? A talking cat? Summoning a motorcycle?!” Sae snapped, anger growing with every question. “Do you think this is a joke?!”

She knew this would be her reaction. She rubbed her temples, trying to remain calm while under her sister’s glare.

“It’s the truth.” she insisted. “You have to believe me.”

“For every lie that you tell me, I’ll add another charge to the pile!” Sae spat.

**All you know how to do is threaten people…**

**Boss, Ren… even me.**

“What drugs did they inject you with?” Sae muttered, shaking her head.

**You’ve probably done the same to others…**

“Don’t you remember? They found me in an illegal casino.” Makoto brought up.

“What’s your point?” Sae asked.

“How many illegal casinos do you know of that are right in the middle of the city?” Makoto asked. “Near a courthouse, even.”

To her relief, Sae seemed to consider her words. “It… is strange, isn’t it? So, this ‘Metaverse’ is where the process of stealing hearts takes place.”

“That’s correct.”

Her sister still looked incredibly skeptical, but at least she was willing to listen.

Although perhaps that was only because of her distorted desire to capture the thieves by any means necessary…

“Very well then. Continue to tell me about Kamoshida, and how you went about stealing his heart.” Sae demanded.

“Yes, sis.”

Sae narrowed her eyes, her glare like a dagger to her heart…

“What was that…?” Sae muttered.

It took all of the remaining willpower she had not to burst into tears.

“...Yes, Prosecutor Niijima.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading everyone. Let me know what you think about Makoto's awakening!


	4. It's Showtime!

Sae Niijima was, quite frankly, furious.

She had arrived a few minutes late to work since she had dropped off her sister, not to mention that she had missed a meeting yesterday because of the train incident.

While being a few minutes late didn’t matter too much in the long run, her coworkers wasted no time in berating her about it.

Even when she had explained the situation, they still scoffed at her, pointing out any perceived flaw or weakness they could find.

Through her years of working, she quickly learned that she would have to go above and beyond to meet the standards of others.

People significantly less competent than her would succeed, earning promotions and bonuses, while she would have to fight tooth and nail for mere scraps.

Such was the reality of being a woman in a male dominated field...

They would look for any way they could to discredit her.

Many of them leered at her. Some maliciously, some lustfully.

They either thought she didn’t belong or that she was just an object to them.

She wasn’t which type she hated more…

“Makoto, are you home?” she called as she entered their apartment.

“Oh, sis.” Makoto answered, studying at the table. “I made dinner, if you’re hungry.”

“I ate at work.” she tersely answered.

“I suppose you did stay very late.” Makoto said. “Did something happen at work?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with.” Sae responded. “But I won't be able to give you any more rides to school. You’ll have to ride the subway.”

“O-Oh…”

Sae sighed. “I know that it’s hard for you, but you need to be strong. What happened there was terrible, but it’s very unlikely to happen again.”

“I know, but-”

“You’ll be fine.” Sae promised, cutting her off. “You’re a Niijima.”

“Right.” Makoto nodded. “I… hope I didn’t cause you any trouble at work.”

“It’s… nothing.” Sae lied. “Now it’s getting late. You should head to bed soon if you want to catch the subway.”

Makoto nodded, heading off to bed.

She, however, still had work to do. She pulled out her laptop, needing to look over more information on cases.

It would be at least another few hours before she went to bed…

* * *

Once again, she found herself in the same prison she was in last night.

“About time you’ve come to.” Caroline scoffed. “Now on your feet, inmate!”

“Our master wanted to speak with you.” Justine explained. “I would suggest you listen to what he says.”

She rose from the bed, looking at Igor, who greeted her with a toothy grin.

“It is wonderful to see you again.” Igor greeted. “And… it would appear that you’ve awakened to the powers of a Persona. Your rehabilitation can finally begin!”

“Begin? You mean it hasn’t started yet?” she asked. “What more do I have to do?”

“There is no need for you to understand right away.” Igor told her. “Simply continue to grow stronger with your Persona and use that MetaNav to come and go between reality and the Metaverse.”

“So that is what it does.” Makoto replied. “Were you the one who gave that to me?”

“Indeed.” Igor chuckled. “But you needn’t worry about going through rehabilitation alone. I shall grant the MetaNav to others who would prove useful to you.”

“Amamiya-kun.” she whispered. “He had it as well.”

“This is all for you to become a great thief.” Igor grinned.

A thief. She didn’t exactly like the sound of that, but if it helped against Kamoshida…

An alarm suddenly rang, startling her.

“Time is nearly up.” Justine whispered.

“Enjoy the little sleep you have left, inmate.” Caroline muttered as Makoto went back to bed.

* * *

**4/12 Tuesday**

Awakened by her alarm, she quickly turned it off before rubbing at her eyes. Glancing at her phone, she saw that the Metaverse Navigator app was still there.

Well, at least that confirmed that she hadn’t hallucinated what happened yesterday. A part of her was concerned she was going insane.

She packed her things and set off for the station.

* * *

She found herself thankful that her sister had drilled into her the habit of arriving early, because she needed a few moments to compose herself before riding the subway.

So she stood there, taking several deep breaths in order to calm herself down.

“Ah!”

Someone bumped into her, causing her to drop all of her things to the floor.

“Oh my God, I’m like, so sorry!”

She turned around, seeing a girl around her age with black hair and a Shujin uniform.

“I was looking at my phone and… say, aren't you the student council president?” the girl asked.

“Yes, that's me.” she nodded. “And you’re… Eiko Taeko, yes? We had a class together.”

“Oh yeah, I guess we did.” Eiko recalled. “I’m surprised you remembered that.”

“It just came back to me.” she responded, beginning to pick up her belongings.

“Here, let me help.” Eiko offered.

Eiko moved to help her, only to let out a gasp.

“Is that a Buchimaru pencil case?!” Eiko exclaimed.

“You know Buchi-kun… I-I mean you know Buchimaru?”

“Of course I do!” Eiko beamed. “Buchimaru was my childhood! So you're into it too, Miss Prez?”

Miss Prez?

“I loved Buchimaru as a kid. I actually have a lot more merchandise at home.” Makoto told her. “This pencil case was actually a gift from my father.”

“It looks a little worn down.” Eiko commented.

“I had it since I was in elementary school.” Makoto replied. “I’ve been thinking of getting a new one, but they don’t sell Buchimaru merchandise anymore.”

Eiko nodded. “Yeah, it sucks. Buchimaru was so cute too… oh, but speaking of cute…”

“Hmm?”

“Have you seen the new transfer student?” Eiko grinned. “You think he’s cute too, right?”

“W-W-What?!” she stammered.

“Don’t think I didn't see you hanging out with him after school.” Eiko pointed out, smirking.

“I-I’m his tutor!” she defended. “We were just studying.”

“ _Riiiight…_ ‘studying’.” Eiko giggled, winking at her. “I didn't think you'd go for someone like that. You're like, a total badass! My opinion of you has done a total 360!”

She considered telling her that that was a full circle, but ultimately decided against it.

“I actually used to think that you were like a robot, but you’re actually kinda cool!” Eiko admitted.

“Like a robot…” she thought to herself.

“Say, why don’t we exchange contact info?” Eiko suggested. “That way, we can talk more about Buchimaru… and your crush.”

“I-I don’t…” she stammered, before letting out a sigh. “Well, I suppose I would like to talk about Buchimaru some more.”

“Great!” Eiko beamed, showing her phone.

They exchanged their contact information right before the train arrived.

“Come on, we can talk more about it inside.” Eiko called. “And I’ll be sure to send you a picture of my collection, and when stuff goes on sale.”

She smiled, joining Eiko on the train, her previous anxiety forgotten.

* * *

“Hey man, where were you?”

Ren looked around, seeing Ryuji waiting for him by the school gate.

The two of them had met on the first day of class, Ryuji telling him all about Kamoshida, and to stay clear of him. They had immediately hit it off, promising to talk more after class, although the Palace ultimately put a wrench in those plans.

“Sorry I couldn’t meet up with you.” Ren apologized. “The school’s making me go through mandatory tutoring after school. Probably to ‘reform’ me or something.”

“For real?” Ryuji groaned. “Man, that sucks. Who’s tutoring you?”

“The student council president.” he responded.

“Oh man, you’re screwed.” Ryuji laughed. “Niijima’s gonna put you through the wringer. She’s intense!”

He shrugged. “She hasn’t been that bad so far. Maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe you could… tell her about what’s going on with Kamoshida.” Ren suggested.

Ryuji scoffed, kicking over a rock near his feet. “Niijima doesn't give a shit about us. She’ll always side with the teachers.”

Ren frowned. “Is that what you think?”

Ryuji nodded. “That's how she's always been. Probably just lookin’ for a letter of recommendation or whatever.”

“There has to be someone we can talk to.” Ren said.

“I tried talking to Ann before, but she wouldn't say anything.” Ryuji sighed.

“Ann?” Ren repeated. “You mean Takamaki-san?”

“You know her?”

“She's in my class.” Ren answered.

Ryuji nodded. “I think somethin’ is going on between Ann and Kamoshida. I think that pervert’s doing something to her or one of her friends!”

“Her friends?”

Ryuji shrugged. “I thought maybe she had a friend who was part of a sports team.”

“And you said that Kamoshida’s abusing the sports teams.” Ren added.

“He’s gotta be!” Ryuji yelled. “They all have bruises after practice.”

“Sounds like a good lead.” Ren said. “Anyway… did you get that thing I asked you to get?”

Ryuji frowned, holding out a brown paper bag “I did, but I don’t know about this, man. If they catch you with this, you’ll totally get expelled.”

Ren took the bag from Ryuji.

“Don’t worry, I promise that I won’t threaten anyone at the school with this.” Ren told him.

Someone in the castle, on the other hand...

“Maybe we should be asking those guys on the sports team about Kamoshida.” Ren suggested.

Ryuji immediately perked up. “Hell yeah! Sounds like a plan, Renren.”

“...What?”

“Renren!” Ryuji grinned. “It’s my nickname for you. I think I’ll be callin’ you that from now on!”

“Please don’t.” Ren deadpanned.

* * *

Classes were rather uneventful today, but as Makoto walked to the student council room, she saw Kamoshida speaking with Ann Takamaki.

“Hey, Takamaki.” Kamoshida greeted, the grin on his face now unnerving her. “You know, things have been really dangerous lately with all those accidents.”

She narrowed her eyes. That was the same line he used on her.

“Sorry, but I have a photoshoot.” Ann excused. “I can’t afford to miss it.”

And it seemed like Ann already had an idea of what he was going to ask…

Kamoshida frowned. “Well, being a model’s fine and all, but don’t work that pretty body of yours to the bone. And didn’t you say that you weren't feeling well?”

“Yeah, I was planning to go to the hospital, but I’ve been… busy.”

“Must be feeling awfully lonely too.” Kamoshida mentioned. “I feel bad that I’m keeping Suzui-san at practice so often.”

She noticed that the mention of Suzui-san made Ann very uncomfortable.

“That’s-”

“Oh, and by the way, be careful around that new transfer student.” Kamoshida warned. “He’s got a criminal record. If something were to happen to you…”

She balled her fists in anger. How could he tell people?! He was supposed to keep it a secret!

“...Thank you. I’ll be going now.” Ann stressed.

She walked off, Kamoshida scowling as she did.

Trying not to be seen, she followed after Ann, hoping that she could catch up to her.

“Takamaki-san!” she called. “Please wait!”

Ann turned around, still frowning as she approached her.

“Oh, Niijima-senpai.” Ann muttered. “Did you need something?”

“I noticed that you looked a little uncomfortable.” Makoto brought up. “Is everything ok?”

“...Is this some kind of interrogation?” Ann asked.

“What? No!” Makoto denied. “I was just concerned, is all.”

“Did Kamoshida put you up to this?” Ann wondered.

“Why would he- I’m just trying to help!” she insisted.

“Well, I’m fine.” Ann told her. “I’m just… feeling a little under the weather.”

“Well… if something ever happens, I’ll always be willing to listen.” Makoto offered.

Ann stood there for a few moments, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately shook her head and excused herself.

“Why won't anyone tell me anything?” Makoto thought to herself.

She made her way to the student council room, seeing Ren already waiting for her, wagging his finger.

“Tsk tsk tsk… thirty seven seconds late, Niijima-senpai.” he joked.

“S-Sorry, I was held up.”

“Um… it's fine.” Ren assured her. “I was just joking.”

“Oh… well then, shall we get started.” Makoto asked, pulling out her phone.

“Actually, maybe we should activate it somewhere else.” he said. “When we escaped the castle the first time, we ended up near the school gate.”

“So, if we activate the MetaNav at the school gate, we might end up outside the castle, so we won't get ambushed.” Makoto theorized.

“That's what I was thinking.” Ren agreed. “So, should we get going?”

“Actually, before that…”

Eiko’s words and Ann’s hesitance from before were still bothering her.

“Amamiya-kun… would you consider me… unapproachable?” she asked. “Or maybe stiff or robotic?”

“Why do you ask?” he wondered.

“It’s just… I was beginning to wonder why no one told me about Kamoshida’s abuse.” she confessed.

“Maybe they think you’d side with him over them.” Ren replied.

“Who would think that?” she asked.

“I was talking with Ryuji this morning… he said you would always side with the teachers. That all you wanted was a letter of recommendation.”

“Well what does he know?!” she snapped. “Why are you even hanging around someone like him?!”

Ren frowned. “Because he’s one of the only people here who treats me like a human being.”

Her expression softened. “I’m sorry… it’s just that he got into an altercation with Kamoshida before.”

“He told me about it.” Ren said. “But after everything we’ve learned, can you really trust Kamoshdia’s side of the story?”

“I guess not…” she admitted. “It feels like in just a single day, my entire world’s been flipped upside down. For the longest time, I was simply doing whatever the staff told me to do, never questioning it.”

Ren nodded, silently encouraging her to continue.

“But I don’t want to be like that anymore. I want to help the other students if I can!”

Ren smiled. “Never too late to change.”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah. But first, we need to stop Kamoshida!”

* * *

Just as they thought, using the MetaNav out of the school gates caused them to wind up right outside the castle.

“We really are back here.” Ren whispered. “...And your outfit’s back too.”

“Let’s not talk about that.” she sighed.

“Hey! Over here!”

They spotted Morgana near the castle, beckoning them over.

“What are you two doing back here?” Morgana asked. “You two barely escaped last time!”

“I can’t just stand by and do nothing if Kamoshida is abusing students.” Makoto answered.

“We wanted to see if there was anything we could find out here.” Ren added.

“Hmm… earlier, I heard a bunch of screaming.” Morgana recalled. “Could those be your classmates?”

“Could be.” Ren answered. “Can you take us to them, Morgana?”

“I might be able to identify them, so we could talk to them at school.” Makoto said.

“Alright, but be careful.” Morgana warned. “The knights are on high alert right now.”

“And I don’t have a Persona.” Ren sighed.

“Don’t worry, Amamiya-kun.” Makoto smiled. “I’ll protect you.”

“Yeah…” Ren trailed off. “Thanks…”

* * *

Morgana carefully led them through the palace, making sure they avoided as many knights as possible.

Eventually, they reached a strange door, which seemed to be fading in and out.

“Hey Morgana, what’s up with this door?” Ren asked.

“That’s a Safe Room.” Morgana explained. “Kamoshida and his knights won’t find us in there.”

Makoto opened the door, finding a classroom that quickly shifted back into an area of the castle.

It seemed the distortion was weaker here.

“So, we can rest here for a bit?” Makoto asked.

Morgana nodded. “If you two have any questions, we can discuss them here.”

“About that…” Ren muttered, pulling out a bag “I was wondering if you think this might help.”

He opened it up… and pulled out a gun!

“W-Where on Earth did you get that?!” Makoto gasped.

“America.” Ren joked. “No, but seriously, It’s just a model, not a real gun. It just makes sounds. I asked Ryuji to grab it for me.”

“It looks so real… no wonder I couldn't tell.” Makoto observed.

“I was hoping that the knights here won't be able to tell from a distance.” Ren told them. “What do you think, Morgana?”

“That might be more helpful than you think.” Morgana grinned.

“That's good.” Ren responded. “I wouldn't want to slow you two down.”

“If that's all, we should get moving!” Morgana commanded, leading the way.

They didn't go far before they encountered another knight that spotted them, morphing into a strange flower creature.

“Alright, Frizzy Hair, fire that gun at that knight!” Morgana demanded.

“What?! But it's a-”

“Just do it!”

Ren fired the gun, gasping as a real bullet came out of it and struck the shadow.

“Keep firing!” Morgana yelled.

Ren unloaded into the shadow until it dissolved into black ooze.

“I thought it was fake!” Makoto exclaimed.

“But this is the cognitive world, so if the enemy thinks it's real, then it’ll act like it's real.” Morgana explained. “And your ammo will replenish, since the enemy will expect you to have full ammo.”

“That's pretty useful.” Makoto grinned. “It’ll make getting through this place a lot easier.”

“Yeah, can you imagine if it didn't replenish and you only had a few bullets that needed to last the whole way?” Ren asked. “That would suck!”

“Alright, enough chit chat! The prisoners are close.” Morgana informed them.

Sure enough, it only took a few minutes for them to reach the sports teams.

All around them, students were being forced to partake in training that could only be described as sadistic torture.

“This is horrible…” Ren whispered.

It was hard to keep watching, but she forced herself to, taking the time to memorize each victim's face.

“Do you recognize them?” Ren asked.

“I do.” Makoto nodded. “And we have the student registry just in case.”

“Are you two done here?” Morgana said impatiently.

“Yes, we’re good now.” Makoto told him. “Thank you for bringing us here, Morgana.”

“Yeah, yeah, now come on!” the not-cat insisted. “We’ve already been here long enough.”

The three evaded the guards in the prison, making their way to the central staircase.

“Come on, we’re almost th-GAH!”

A sudden blast of light knocked Morgana off of his feet.

“Morgana!” Makoto cried out.

“Trespassing again? You knaves are hopeless!”

Kamoshida descended the staircase, followed by a golden knight and four angelic creatures in bondage gear.

“Kamoshida, how can you abuse your own students?!” Makoto shouted. “How can you do this?!”

“Didn’t I already tell you?!” Kamoshida roared. “Because I’m the king! Peasants like you should learn your place!”

The four angels flew above them, assaulting them with blasts of light.

“Watch those Kouha spells!” Morgana warned, rolling out the wall before blasting an angel with wind.

“Got it!” Makoto acknowledged, assaulting the injured angel with a barrage of punches and kicks until it dissolved.

Their attention focused on the Persona users, Ren managed to get a lucky shot on another angel, knocking it to the ground and unloading into it until it was beaten.

“King Kamoshida! Please, allow me to take them on!” the golden knight requested.

“Very well. Kill them all!” Kamoshida demanded.

The golden knight transformed, becoming another angel, but donning a full suit of armor instead.

“HRAAAAA!” the knight roared, charging with power.

“It’s charging up! Take it out quick!” Morgana advised.

“On it! Johanna, Frei!” Makoto called.

Morgana joined in, letting loose a Garu spell on the armored foe.

Both spells hit their mark, unleashing an explosion of energy. When the dust settled, however, both Persona users were shocked to see the Archangel with minimal injuries.

“No way! How durable is this guy?!” Morgana exclaimed. “We have to attack again before-”

“Too late!” the Archangel shouted. “Begone!”

The archangel unleashed a blast of energy from his sword, knowing both of them off their feet.

“Ngh… I can’t move.” Morgana groaned.

"He’s too strong…” Makoto muttered, struggling to get back on her feet.

“Restrain them!” the Archangel commanded.

The two remaining angels descended, pinning Morgana and Makoto to the ground.

“Good… now execute them!” Kamoshida demanded.

The knight descended the stairs, reading his sword.

It quickly jumped to the side, however, when it saw a bullet whizzing by.

“You bastard!” Ren shouted, running in front of the others. “I won’t let you hurt them!”

“Oh, right… him.” the Archangel muttered. “He’s so weak and insignificant, I almost forgot about him.”

“Amamiya-kun, stop!” Makoto shouted. “Forget about me! Run!”

“I-I can’t just leave you!” he yelled.

“I promised I’d protect you… please, go!” she pleaded.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

He turned to face Kamoshida, who had a bold grin on his face.

“Y-You can’t do this!” Ren yelled.

“And who’s gonna stop me? You?!” Kamoshida smirked. “Didn’t you hear about what I did to Sakamoto? If you raise a hand against me, I’ll break you! And the school will call it self-defense!”

“But you’re the one who started it!” Morgana argued.

“That doesn’t matter!” Kamoshida claimed. “All I have to say is that he started it, and he’ll spend the rest of his life in a cell! No one’s going to believe the words of some punk over a king like me!”

He froze.

This was just like back then.

‘Damn brat, I’ll sue!’

His body began to shake.

His palms began to sweat.

“Amamiya-kun… please… go.” Makoto whispered.

“No one will believe you.” Kamoshida grinned. “I’ll even force these two to turn against you!”

He continued to stand there, frozen.

Even if he did fight back, no one would believe his side of the story.

No one would side with him.

Everyone… family, friends… they’d all abandon him again.

He’d be alone...

_“What’s the matter? She’s in trouble, just like that woman from before was.”_

He glanced around, startled by the voice in his head.

“ _Death awaits them if you don’t intervene. Was your previous decision a mistake then?”_

Was it? He had saved that woman, but she then testified against him, and now he was on probation.

If he did something like that again, then he’d be in jail… or worse.

But…

If he hadn’t done anything, that woman would have suffered horribly...

He glanced at Makoto and Morgana, still held down by the angels.

He thought of Ryuji, and the disbanded track team.

He thought of the abused athletes.

He thought of the girls Kamoshida took advantage of.

“No…” he whispered. “It wasn’t a mistake.”

“What was that?” Kamoshida muttered.

“Maybe you’re right…” Ren admitted. “Maybe no one would believe my word over yours… but even if that’s true…”

“I won’t let you get away with this!” Ren shouted, glaring definitely at Kamoshida with yellow eyes.

“ _I am thou, thou art I.”_

Ren grit his teeth, clutching his head in pain.

“What’s going on?!” the Archangel exclaimed.

“C-Can it be?” Morgana gasped.

_“Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!”_

“How dare you talk back to me! Kill him!” Kamoshida commanded.

“ _Call my name, and release thy rage!”_

A bird-like mask appeared on Ren’s face, which he quickly grabbed at, wanting the pain to stop.

Just as the Archangel was about to strike, he ripped off the mask, his blood staining the floor, and a blue beam of energy burst out of him, forcing the Archangel back.

Gone was his regular school uniform, replaced with bright red gloves and a three-trailed trench coat.

Behind him stood a wickedly grinning demon with black wings, and a fancy black top and waistcoat, a white cravat, and a red suit and leggings.

“He’s got a Persona too!” Morgana exclaimed.

“Damn it, not again!” Kamoshida spat, running out of the room.

“Ha! Not so powerless now, am I?” Ren said, sporting a large smirk. “It’s showtime, Arsène!”

“This doesn’t matter!” the Archangel claimed. “You’re still no match for me!”

The Archangel charged, Ren dodging out the way of its sword.

“Eiha!” Ren shouted, snapping his fingers to produce a black flame.

The Archangel prepared to dodge, but quickly found that it wasn’t the intended target. Instead, the spell hit the angels beside him, causing them to scream in agony as the dark flames devoured them.

Now freed from their captors, Makoto and Morgana healed their wounds and ran to Ren’s side.

“Not bad, Frizzy Hair!” Morgana praised. “Looks like these angels are weak to your curse skills!”

“Are you two ok?” Ren asked, still concerned.

“I’m fine, thanks to you.” Makoto said appreciatively. “Now, let’s take this guy down!”

“He’s the same golden knight from yesterday, right?” Ren smirked. “Guess it’s time for a little payback!”

“Wait until you have a good shot, Amamiya-kun!” Makoto called, running towards the knight.

Makoto engaged the knight in close combat, dodging his sword swings while countering with punches and kicks.

Just as it seemed like the Archangel was about to slice Makoto in two, Morgana slammed it with a wind spell, dealing minimal damage, but throwing off its aim as well.

Makoto capitalized, striking the Archangel’s head with a devastating roundhouse kick.

“Enough of this!” the knight roared, slicing vertically.

Using her flexibility, Makoto bent under the slash, smirking when she saw the Archangel’s eyes widen in horror.

“Eiha!” Ren shouted, firing a black fireball that sailed over Makoto’s head, smacking the Archangel square in the chest.

It cried out in pain, black flames engulfing him as he was forced to his knees.

“Now, finish it off!” Morgana ordered.

All three of them unleashed their magic, downing the Archangel once and for all.

“K-King Kamoshida… I… failed…” the archangel gasped, dissolving into the ground.

“All right!” Ren cheered. “We did it, Makoto!”

“Thanks to you Ren!” Makoto beamed.

Ren held his hand up high, an action that confused her.

“Uh… High five?”

“O-Oh!” she gasped, quickly raising her own hand and high fiving him.

“Alright, the exit’s right there, so let's go.” Morgana told them. “You must be tired after awakening to your Persona.”

“No, I can still… keep going…” Ren panted, beginning to feel the exhaustion.

“It's ok, Ren.” Makoto told him. “We’ve done what we came here to do. Let's go.”

“...Alright, Makoto.” Ren nodded, following them out of the castle.

As they made their way back to their world, she realized that Ren and her had called each other by their first names.

And that she didn't mind that at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed Ren's awakening, and have a great day!


	5. Unapproachable

“Yo Ann, what's bonkin’?

The blond girl rolled her eyes. “Ryuji, what does that even mean?”

Her friend Shiho let out a small smile beside her, amused by their antics.

“Come on, it sounds cool!” Ryuji defended,

“Oh, are you Sakamoto-kun?” Shiho asked. “Ann’s told me a lot about you.”

“S-Shiho!” Ann gasped.

“Oh yeah, what’d she say?” Ryuji grinned.

“Something about… owning her money.” Shiho recalled.

“Hahaha… oh yeah, that's right!” Ann laughed. “You never paid me back for the money I lent you in middle school.”

“Come on, you still remember that?” Ryuji groaned. “That was years ago!”

“Yeah, so it’s collected years of interest!” Ann grinned. “Time to pay up!”

“FOR REAL?!”

Shiho let out a small laugh from besides Ann.

Ryuji glanced at Shiho, letting out a small gasp.

“Woah, what happened to your leg?” Ryuji asked, pointing at her brace.

Shiho’s expression darkened. “It’s… just from training.”

“Kamoshida’s your coach, ain’t he?” Ryuji grumbled. “Did he do anything to you?!”

“Ryuji!” Ann yelled.

“I-It was just a mistake from practice.” Shiho excused. “I tripped and fell badly on my leg.”

Ann bit her lip, glancing at Shiho as if she wanted to say something.

“Suzui-san?”

The three students turned around to find a timid-looking boy walking towards them.

“Is that Mishima? He looks rough.” Ryuji thought, noting the bruises on his face.

“K-Kamoshida wanted to speak with you.” Mishima told her.

Shiho’s body stiffened. “W-Why does he want to see me?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.” Mishima told her.

“I-It’s probably just something to do with the rally or practice.” Ann encouraged.

“You’re just going to do what he wants?!” Ryuji protested. “What if he-”

“Drop it, Ryuji!” Ann shouted, cutting him off.

“Thank you for the concern, but… It’ll be fine.” Shiho whispered.

She walked towards the P.E faculty office, Mishima walking away as well.

“You’re just gonna let her go?!” Ryuji yelled. “If Kamoshida is doing somethin’ to you two-”

“I told you to drop it!” Ann yelled back, storming off.

“...Damn it.” Ryuji grumbled as she walked away.

* * *

“Looks like… we made it out ok.” Makoto panted.

Ren glanced around, confirming that they were back in the real world.

“Yeah… so tomorrow, we’ll be talking to those athletes.” Ren recalled.

“That’s the plan. We can talk to them during the rally tomorrow.” Makoto confirmed. “But right now, I’m exhausted.”

“Same here.” Ren nodded. “Not to mention starving.”

“We must have spent an hour or two in there.” Makoto assumed. “And I haven’t eaten since lunchtime.”

“Well, I know a cafe with some great curry.” Ren brought up. “The two of us could go together if you’d like.”

Wait… was he asking her out?!

“Why?” she asked.

“Well, I wanted to thank you.” Ren admitted. “You did save my life yesterday.”

“There’s no need to thank me.” she told him. “And you saved my life too.”

“True, but you’re also tutoring me.” he pointed out. “...And, well, I told my guardian I’d bring you.”

“Your guardian?”

“He owns the cafe.” Ren clarified.

“I see… but why did you say you’d bring me?” she asked.

“He wants me home as soon as school ends, and was skeptical when I told him I have mandatory tutoring.” he explained.

“Oh, of course.” she nodded.

She mentally chastised herself. Of course he wouldn't want to ask her out.

“Lead the way, then.” she said.

* * *

Ren brought her to a small cafe in Yongen-Jaya. For a moment, she thought that the cafe was closed, considering the lack of customers. Ren just chuckled, saying that was normal for this place.

As they opened the door, a ball rang, alerting a middle aged man behind the counter to their presence.

“Where were you?” the man grumbled. “I thought I told you to come back right after…”

The man’s expression shifted when he locked eyes with her.

“Oh? Are you with him?” he wondered.

“I told you about my tutor, right?” Ren asked. “This is her.”

“It's good to meet you, sir.” she greeted. “I’m the student council president at Shujin. The principal tasked me with tutoring him every day after school.”

“Huh… so he was telling the truth.” the man muttered. “Well, I’m Sojiro Sakura, the kid's guardian. But everyone calls me Boss.”

“I apologize if you need him home earlier. I could bring this up to the principal, and he could arrange something.” she told him.

Sojiro shook his head. “That's fine. As long as I know what he's doing. You two must be pretty hungry, though. Let me fix you up some curry.”

“I… didn't bring any money with me.” Makoto replied.

“Don't worry about paying.” Sojiro dismissed. “It's on the house. Consider it thanks for keeping him out of trouble.”

“Did you really need to add that?” Ren groaned.

The two teens sat across from each other at a booth, making small talk until Sojiro brought them curry and, strangely enough, coffee as well.

“They actually go really well together.” Ren explained.

“You like coffee?” Sojiro asked.

“I’ve only had coffee a few times, and I wasn't too fond of it.” Makoto admitted.

“Sounds like you’ve never had real coffee.” Sojiro grinned.

She took a sip of her coffee, eyes widening before taking a much bigger sip.

“This is really good!” she complemented.

“Heh, told you.” Sojiro grinned. “Anyway, I’m going to go grab some groceries. Don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”

As Sojiro exited the cafe, Ren and Makoto quickly began to dig into their curry.

“I was a little skeptical at first, but this is really tasty.” Makoto confessed. “...Although, now that I think about it, my sister was talking about a nice cafe in Yongen-Jaya the other day.”

“Maybe you two could stop by more often.” Ren suggested.

She bit her lip, remembering her sister’s words. She didn’t want her hanging out with a ‘criminal’ like him.

“Ren, can I ask you something?” Makoto wondered. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, though.”

“Uh, sure.” Ren shrugged.

“How did... that assault on your record happen, if you don't mind me asking?”

He seemed to hesitate for a few moments, seemingly contemplating whether to tell her or not.

“Well… I suppose I can tell you.” Ren said.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“It’s ok.” Ren insisted. “I trust you, Makoto.”

She let out a small smile.

Ren took a deep breath, leaning back in the booth.

“Truth be told, I was framed.” he claimed.

“Framed?”

He nodded and began to tell her his story. According to him, he had actually intervened when he saw a man trying to assault a woman, but the man used his power and influence to have the police and the woman take his side.

A few days ago, she wouldn't have believed it. She would have insisted the police would have taken his side if he was in the right.

But now…

Now she wasn’t so sure...

“That’s… I don't know what to say...” she trailed off.

“It’s ok.” Ren whispered. “It’s a pretty crazy story. I’m not surprised that you don’t believe me.”

He maintained a pleasant smile on his face as he said that…

But when she took a closer look, she saw that it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

An expression she was all too familiar with.

“I never said I didn't believe you.” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“For the longest time, I would always assume that authority figures had the best intentions.” she recalled. “I’m not so sure of that anymore, though. But one thing that I _am_ sure about is that you’re a good person, Ren. You saved me from Kamoshida, and I’m sure you saved that other woman too.”

“Y-You… really believe me?” Ren asked in disbelief.

“I trust you too, Ren.” she expressed, beaming at him.

His expression changed from shock to happiness, flashing a smile at her.

A real smile this time.

“Thank you…” he whispered. “Thank you… no one’s ever believed me before.”

They stared into each other’s eyes, and for some reason, she felt her cheeks begin to heat up, and she had a sort of fluttery feeling in her stomach.

“What’s going on?” Makoto thought to herself. “Is the curry and coffee too hot? Am I just really tired?”

At the very least, he seemed to be feeling something similar, as his face looked red too.

*Ding*

“Alright, I’m back.” Sojiro muttered, walking back into the cafe.

“Eep!” she gasped, jumping in her chair.

“Something wrong?” the older man asked.

“Oh no, it’s nothing.” Makoto assured him. “I was just surprised, is all.”

Sojiro nodded, going behind the counter to put the groceries away before going outside for a smoke.

“There was one more thing I wanted to discuss.” Makoto told him.

“What would that be?” Ren wondered.

“It’s just… I noticed that we've been calling each other by our first names for a bit.” she said.

“Oh, my bad.” Ren apologized. “I didn’t even realize.”

She shook her head. “It's ok. I don't mind. Do you?”

“Well, if you don’t mind, then neither do I.” Ren smiled. “I mean, we are friends.”

“W-We are?” she stammered.

“W-Well, I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but we’ve been through a lot.” he reminded her. “We did save each other's lives, after all.”

“That's true…” she agreed. “And I certainly would like to be friends.”

“And so would I.” Ren grinned. “So we’re friends!”

She let out a small giggle. “I suppose it really is that simple. Sorry, I… don't really have much experience with friends…”

“Neither do I, to be honest.” Ren admitted. “I was pretty quiet as a kid.”

“Well, I’m glad to have you on my side.” Makoto admitted. “I’m afraid that the other students don’t trust me. They think I’m some sort of unapproachable robot.”

Seeing the huge smirk on Ren’s face, she immediately regretted what she said.

“Beep Boop.”

“D-Don’t tease me!” she exclaimed.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Ren chuckled. “But in all honesty, I promise that, as your friend, I’ll support you against Kamoshida.”

“And I’ll do the same.” she nodded.

As they promised to support each other, a soft, soothing voice whispered in her head. Like Johanna, she had never heard it before, but it seemed familiar all the same.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Fool** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“Now then, there’s one more thing...” she trailed off.

With a bright smile on her face, she grabbed a large textbook and placed it on the table.

“You don’t think I was going to let you get out of studying… did you?”

Ren could only groan, his fate sealed.

* * *

After a long hour of studying, Makoto excused herself, heading home.

After she left, Sojiro looked at Ren, a sly grin on his face.

“What?” Ren asked.

“Not even here for a week and you’re already bringing girls home.” Sojiro grinned. “Hoo boy…”

Ren blanched, his face flush.

* * *

She arrived at home, only to find her sister absent. She must have been spending the night at work again.

Feeling her phone buzzing, she noticed that she got a message from Eiko.

Eiko: Hey, you wanna see my collection?

Makoto: Your collection?

Eiko: My Buchimaru collection, duh!

Makoto: Oh! Yes, please show me!

Eiko: K, gimme a sec.

Eiko posted a picture filled with all sorts of Buchimaru merch. Shirts, plushies, pillows, cups, pins, figures, and more...

Makoto: That’s quite the collection! I’m a little jealous to be honest…

Eiko: I know, it’s awesome, right? Do you have a collection too?

Makoto: I do, but it’ll take me a bit to find everything.

Eiko: That’s cool. You can show me another time. But what about your crush ;)

Makoto: What?!

Eiko: I saw the two of you outside of school again. What were you two getting up too?

Makoto: Nothing! We just went over to the cafe that he lives at, that's all! We needed to meet with his guardian.

Eiko: Oh wow! A dinner date, and he took you to his home to meet his guardian! Damn Miss Prez, you work fast!

She could feel her face begin to heat up again. Why did it keep doing that?!

Makoto: There’s nothing like that between me and Ren!

Eiko: Oh? Already on a first name basis, huh? ( ͡° ᴥ ͡°)

Her cheeks grew redder, and she began to feel the urge to throw her phone across the room.

Makoto: He was just thanking me for tutoring him! All we did was study!

Eiko: Study huh? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Makoto: Eiko, what's with those strange faces?

Eiko: What, you haven't seen that emoji before?

Makoto: Emoji? Eiko, did you make a typo?

Eiko: lol good one Miss Prez.

She frowned. Did Eiko think she was joking?

Typing…

Eiko: Um…

Typing…

Eiko: OMG, you're serious.

Makoto: OMG?

Eiko: Short for oh my God. Like, OMG, I need to, like, teach you all about texting lingo and emojis and stuff.

Eiko: Tell you what, Miss Prez. Why don't we go shopping one of these days at the mall?

Makoto: Really? Sure, I’d like that.

Eiko: Great! I text you when I’m free!

Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't help but let out a smile. She certainly hadn't expected to make two friends today.

Speaking of which, a notification on her phone alerted her to the Ren texting her.

Ren: Thanks again for tutoring me.

Makoto: It's no trouble. Good night, Ren.

Ren: Good night… Miss Beep Boop.

She dropped her phone, burying her face in her pillow to let out an embarrassed whine.

* * *

She awoke to find herself back in the Velvet Room.

“Must have fallen asleep.” she muttered to herself.

Having gone through this song and dance before, she got out of bed to face Igor.

“You wished to speak with me?” she asked.

“First, I have a question.” Igor said. “Are you finding yourself more accustomed to this place?”

“Not fully.” she admitted. “But I'm more used to it than I was before.”

Igor’s grin widened further. “Excellent. You’re not shaken easily, I see.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far…” Makoto trailed off.

“Building on what I said before, you needn’t go through rehabilitation alone.” Igor explained. “Allies will help you to avoid ruin. Why, you even formed a bond with a fellow Persona user today, did you not?”

“Ren…” she whispered.

“There are others that you shall help with their own rehabilitation, and in turn, they shall help yours.” Igor told her.

“There are plenty of people with unique skill sets that can help you.” Justine brought up.

“Yeah, they’re not as weak as you, so make sure you get them on your side!” Caroline yelled.

“Weak… that’s a bit much…” she whispered.

“That is not to say that you should seek these bonds purely for the purpose of growing stronger.” Igor warned. “Bonds built on such superficial reasons will not work at all.”

“I… don’t know I’ll be very good for this.” she admitted. “I don’t have a lot of friends…”

“Ah, but you already have plenty of people offering to help, do you not?” Igor asked.

“I suppose that he’s right.” she mused. “He looks a little strange, and I could do without all of his vague responses… but he seems genuine at least.”

As she thought more about Igor’s offer to help, the same voice that came to her with Ren at the cafe spoke again.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Hunger** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“All the answers will come to you in time.” Igor assured her. “For now, continue to work towards your rehabilitation.”

“Our master’s done speaking, so get lost, Inmate!” Caroline demanded.

She sighed, returning to the bed in her cell, hoping to get some rest.

* * *

**4/13 Wednesday**

The volleyball rally happened soon after classes began. She changed into her gym attire, heading to the gymnasium with the rest of the students. Spying Ren sitting by himself, she gave a small smile before sitting next to him.

“So, it’s the faculty vs. the students, right?” Ren asked.

“That’s right.” she nodded.

A blonde boy, that she realized must be Ryuji Sakamoto, walked up to them. As soon as his eyes landed on her, however, he let out a scowl.

“What’re you doin’ here?” Ryuji muttered.

She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at his tone. “I’m simply watching the rally with another student. Is there a problem?”

“You keeping an eye on him like they told you to?” Ryuji accused.

“Ryuji…” Ren frowned.

“Absolutely not!” she denied. “That’s not what I’m doing at all!”

“Whatever…” Ryuji grumbled.

The three of them watched the volleyball match between the two teams.

...Although calling it a match would be a bit generous, honestly. It was ridiculously one-sided, the student team getting completely destroyed as Kamoshida scored every single point in the game.

She watched as Kamoshida jumped into the air, getting ready for the spike.

He spiked the ball as hard as he could… and she winced when it hit a student in the face.

Kamoshida rushed over, calling for someone to bring him to the nurse’s office, before quickly getting back to the game.

With what she knew now, she couldn't help but feel disturbed by what happened.

* * *

The rally ended shortly afterwards, and after changing back into her regular clothes, she navigated the halls until she found Ren talking to Ryuji.

“Effin’ Kamoshida.” Ryuji grumbled. “This whole rally was just to boost his ego! And did you see the way he pretended to care about Mishima?! What an asshole!”

“Excuse me.” she greeted. “You two were about to question the athletes, correct?”

“What?! How did you know?!” Ryuji gasped.

“I told her.” Ren confessed. “I thought she could help us.”

“Man, I told you she doesn't care.” Ryuji muttered.

She crossed her arms. “And what makes you say that?”

“Cause you didn't give a shit before!” Ryuji exclaimed. “You didn't care when the track team was disbanded.”

“That… you hit Kamoshida!” she argued. “How can we trust you not to screw everything up?!”

“Makoto…” Ren muttered.

“How can we trust you not to report to Kamoshida or the principal?” Ryuji countered. “You're just a teacher's pet!”

“And you're just a hotheaded punk!” she yelled.

“Guys!”

Ren suddenly shouted, startling both of them.

“Please, stop…” Ren whispered. “Just… please, stop fighting.”

She frowned, seeing the distress on his face. The last thing she wanted was to put him in an awkward position.

“You're right…” she admitted. “The wellbeing of the student body comes first.”

Ryuji sighed. “Guess I’ll start asking around then.”

“We… should probably split up.” Ren suggested. “Cover more ground that way.”

She nodded. “I agree. I meet up with you two later.”

She soured the halls, looking for anyone she recognized from the castle. They all said the same thing… that the injuries were from practice.

Just when she thought that it was hopeless, she ran into another athlete with a bandaged nose.

“Um… excuse me.” she said, trying to get his attention.

“O-Oh, N-Niijima-senpai.” the student said. “Did you need something?”

“Oh no, I just noticed that you’re injured.” she observed.

“T-That was just from practice.” the student insisted.

“Was it similar to what happened to Mishima-kun?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah, something like that.” the man stuttered. “But I don’t have special training like him…”

“Special training?” she wondered.

“Er, it’s nothing.” the student muttered. “I need to go.”

The student quickly walked away, but she had what she needed.

She met back up with the other two near the vending machine.

“Find anything?” she asked.

“Tch… nothing but an earful from Ann.” Ryuji groaned.

“What did she say?” she asked.

“I think she's all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida.” Ryuji grumbled. “She was telling us to stop snooping around.”

“Maybe she was trying to warn us.” Ren suggested.

“Do you think Kamoshida’s abusing her too?” Makoto wondered.

“She ain't part of any sports team.” Ryuji brought up, before his eyes widened in realization. “But one of her friends is…”

“I also heard a student talking about special training for Mishima-kun.” she added.

“Sounds like we have a few leads.” Ren said. “Have either of you tried talking to Ann?”

“I tried, but she wouldn't say anything to me.” Ryuji replied.

“Same here…” she sighed.

“Well, third time's the charm, right?” Ren encouraged. “I’ll try talking to her.”

“Good luck.” Makoto said.

After finalizing a plan, the three teens decided to call it a day.

As Ren and her walked to the student council room, he spoke up.

“Say, Makoto….” he trailed off. “I think that you and Ryuji should talk.”

“About what?” she asked.

“About… what happened between him and Kamoshida.” Ren answered. “I know that he can be a little hotheaded, but he's not a bad guy. And I don't think that you're a bad person either. That's why I think that if you two just talked, you’d be able to come to an understanding.”

Perhaps she had lost her temper. Even if she was stressed out, it was no excuse for lashing out at people she should be helping.

“I’ll try.” she promised. “And I’m sorry. I’m sure you didn't enjoy seeing the two of us fight.”

“It's ok.” Ren smiled. “I’m sure if we team up, we can take down Kamoshida.”

“First we need to team up to take down your homework.” Makoto pointed out.

“Oh. Right.” Ren muttered. “Well that's not nearly as exciting.”

She let out a small giggle, flipping open her textbook.

After tutoring Ren, she went home, studying a bit herself before heading to bed.

* * *

**4/14 Thursday**

Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough. As soon as the lunchtime bell rang, she found Ryuji eating his lunch by himself.

“Sakamoto-kun, can we talk?” she requested.

“About what?” he muttered.

“About… what happened a year ago.” she vaguely said.

“...Why do you care?” Ryuji scoffed.

She sat across from him at the table. “I know… that I haven’t been doing a good job of looking out for my peers in the past. But I want to change that. That’s why I want to hear your side of the story, not just what Kamoshida told everyone.”

Ryuji sat in silence for a few moments before shrugging. “I guess I got nothin’ to lose.”

“Then…?”

Ryuji sighed. “Yeah, I hit Kamoshdia, and he busted up my leg in return. But he was provoking me!”

“Provoking you?” she repeated.

“That guy wanted to get rid of all the sports teams at school but his precious volleyball team.” Ryuji scowled. “So he started targeting the track team.”

“And he targeted you, since you were the leader of the team, correct?” Makoto assumed.

“Yeah… he started tellin’ everyone private shit about my family.” Ryuji frowned.

She looked down in shame. “I'm afraid that I wasn’t paying any attention at the time.”

“He just started bugging me over and over again.” Ryuji recalled. “Saying shit about me and my mom… and then I just snapped.”

“I see… I probably would have done the same, to be honest.” she admitted. “The way he acted was horrible, but… I need you to trust me, ok? Ren and I… we’ll do something, ok?”

She had an idea… it was a tad farfetched, admittedly, but it was an idea to take down Kamoshida.

“What are you two gonna do?” Ryuji asked.

“I… can’t tell you right now.” she hesitantly said. “But I promise, I’ll do everything I can to help all of Kamoshida’s victims… and that includes you.”

Ryuji sat still for a few moments before letting out a sigh. “Well, I know Ren trusts you… so I guess I have to trust you too.”

He still seemed reluctant, but it was better than before.

“Thank you.” she smiled. “Thank you for placing your trust in me.”

* * *

After finishing classes for the day, she met Ren in the student council room.

“Have you talked to Takamaki-san yet?” she asked.

“Not yet.” Ren said. “I was planning to catch up to her later, but we might need to cut the study session short.”

“Are you sure that's not an excuse to get out of studying?” she joked.

Ren mock gasped. “Why, Ms. Beep Boop, is that a joke I hear?”

“You know Ren, one of these days, I’ll find an embarrassing nickname for you.” she threatened.

“Well as long as it's not-”

“Finally! I found you two!”

Ren and Makoto quickly glanced around, wondering where the voice came from.

“Down here!”

They looked down, seeing a black cat looking at them.

“That voice… Morgana?!” Ren exclaimed.

“I thought that I heard some of the staff looking for a cat.” Makoto muttered.

“I’m not a cat!” Morgana yelled.

“Um… you clearly are a cat.” Ren pointed out. “Even more clearly than before.”

“Stop saying I’m a cat!” Morgana barked.  
“Ren… please tell me I’m not going insane and that you can hear him too.” Makoto pleaded.

“Meow?” Ren questioned.

“...Honestly, I’d be worried if you _didn’t_ make a joke.” she sighed.

“How did you get here anyway?” Ren asked. “You don’t have a phone.”

“When you’re as skilled and experienced as me, you don’t need one.” Morgana bragged.

“And so modest, too…” she sarcastically mused.

“You said you were having trouble with Kamoshida.” Morgana recalled. “Well I can help you!”

“Would it have to do with that castle?” Makoto asked. “I was… considering going back there.”

“You were?” Ren asked.

“I was hoping that there would be a way to stop Kamoshida.” she reasoned.

“Well, you’re on the right track!” Morgana told her. “If we can get rid of that castle, we get rid of his distorted desires!”

“So, he’d become a good person?” Ren wondered.

“Yeah, you’re getting it!” Morgana grinned. “And a good person would never be able to live with the guilt of their crime, so he’d have to confess.”

“That would be incredible!” Makoto said excitedly.

“The thing is… his other desires might disappear as well.” Morgana brought up. “His desires to sleep, eat… he could end up dead.”

“D-Dead?!” Ren gasped. “I mean, he’s an awful guy, but I don’t want to kill him.”

“Neither do I.” Makoto agreed.

“Urgh, you two are so indecisive.” Morgana grumbled. “Isn’t this your only option? I’ll come back later, so you should make up your minds by then.”

As the not-cat walked off, she began to consider her options.

“I don’t want to kill anyone, but what do you think?” Ren asked.

“I think that for now, we should work with what we have.” she answered.

“Yeah. I’ll try and talk to Takamaki-san then.” Ren nodded.

They went their separate ways, but as she approached the exit, she spotted a member of the volleyball team out of the corner of her eye.

“Excuse me?”

The girl looked up, and she nearly winced when she saw the nasty bruise above her eye.

“You’re… Suzui-san, yes?” Makoto asked. “Are you ok?”

“I-I’m fine.” Shiho stammered.

“Are you sure? That’s quite the bruise.”

“It’s nothing. Just an injury from practice.” Shiho claimed.

She stepped in front of Shiho.

“It doesn’t look like nothing to me.” Makoto boldly claimed. “Suzui-san, if there’s something going on, please speak to me.”

“Niijima-sempai, I…” Shiho trailed off. “I… I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I know some of the other students say you don’t care, but… please, don’t pay attention to them.”

She frowned, trying to think of how to respond.

“I don’t want him hurting you too…” Shiho whispered.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing!” Shiho stammered.

She stepped out the door, and as she watched Shiho walk in the direction of the P.E Faculty Office, she wondered if there was something else she could do.

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 1


	6. King, Queen, and Captain

**4/15 Friday**

She looked at the conversation over and over again.

Ren: I spoke with Takamaki-san. Kamoshida’s been pressuring her into all sorts of things.

Makoto: Like what?

Ren: Today, he threatened to take her friend Shiho off the volleyball team unless she slept with him.

The more times she read it, the sicker she felt. With every new detail she learned, the more shocked she was that this had been going on for so long.

She partially blamed herself, but what about the other staff members? Surely, they had to at least suspect something.

When she arrived at school, she saw Ren happily munching on some Yakisoba Pan.

“I see you've got the school store’s special item.” she commented.

“I didn't know they had this!” Ren grinned. “It's amazing!”

“They only have them on Fridays.” she pointed out. “And they sell out fast.”

“I guess I got lucky.” Ren figured.

“Say… Ren?” Makoto called. “About what you told me over text…”

Ren sighed. “I feel kinda bad, since she said to keep quiet.”

“I know, but it’ll all be worth it when we expose Kamoshida for what he is.” she encouraged.

“Were you thinking of talking to Suzui-san?” Ren asked.

She nodded. “I don’t want to pressure her, but this is one of our only leads.”

“Then let’s talk to her around lunchtime.” Ren suggested.

“Good idea.” she nodded.

They went to their classes, hopeful that their plan would work.

But right when the lunch bell was about to ring…

“Isn’t that one of the volleyball team members?”

“What’s she doing up there?”

“Wait, is she going to jump?!”

Her classmates’ comments immediately caught her attention.

Concerned, she rushed to the window, pushing past her classmates to see what was happening.

She let out a gasp, seeing Shiho standing at the edge of the roof.

“No…” she whispered. “No!”

She had to hurry! If she ran as fast as she could, she could make it to the roof on time to stop her and-

“Oh my God!”

She turned back around, eyes widening in horror as she watched Shiho jump off of the roof.

She stood there in stunned silence, unaware of the shocked gasps and screams of the students around her. All she focused on was Shiho’s body falling… falling, until it hit the ground.

Eventually, she snapped out of her stupor. “I… I need to… I need to see her.”

She ran down the stairs as fast as she could. By the time she arrived outside, an ambulance had already come to bring Shiho into the hospital. She saw multiple people pulling out their phone, which made her want to scream. Scream at them to stop being so callous. Scream at them to get out of her way.

She spotted Ren and Ryuji running after a student with blue hair. Could he know something about what happened to Shiho?

Before she ran after them, she saw the principal running into the middle of the crowd.

“Everyone, please return to your classroom! None of you have been dismissed yet!” the principal commanded.

She ran after Ren and Ryuji, finding that they had cornered the boy over by some lockers.

“You know something, don’t you?” Ren asked.

“L-Leave me alone…” Mishima stammered.

Ryuji slammed his fist into the locker in rage. “She jumped and tried to kill herself!”

The boy looked around frantically, his eyes landing on her.

“N-Niijima-sempai!” Mishima stammered. “C-Can you-”

“Mishima-kun… please.” she pleaded. “I promise that we won’t let anyone know that you told us.”

“Yeah, we aren’t trying to get you busted.” Ryuji told him. “We just can’t sit by while shit like this is happening!”

“Suzui… she… she was called by Kamoshida!” Mishima cried.

“So… all of those bruises…” Ren trailed off.

“Kamoshida would always call one of us to his office when we disappointed him… and he’d hit us.” Mishima admitted.

“Damn it… that effin’ bastard!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“I’m not sure why he called her… she didn’t do anything wrong…” Mishima muttered.

Ren turned to her. “You think this has to do with Takamaki-san?”

“That might be it…” she whispered.

“Everyone already knows about the abuse.” Mishima sighed. “Our parents, the staff… everyone knows, but they don’t care.”

Could that really be true? Could the staff really be aware of this happening?

“That son of a bitch!” Ryuji yelled. “I’ll-”

“Ryuji, calm down!”

They all turned to her.

“Why are you tellin’ me to keep calm?!” Ryuji argued. “Aren’t you angry at him?!”

Her fists were clenched, her eyes were shut, and her body was shaking.

“I’m furious…” she muttered. “A part of me wants to march down to Kamoshida’s office and confront him myself. But that wouldn’t solve anything.”

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!” Ryuji snapped.

“The need to get enough evidence against Kamoshida, but we can’t let him know that we’re onto him.” Ren told Ryuji.

Ryuji frowned, but didn’t argue. “Guess it’d only be a repeat of last year if I went after him now.”

“...Makoto, you thinking what I’m thinking?” Ren asked.

She nodded, seeing as they were on the same page.

Ren walked up to her, whispering into her ear. “I’ll look for Morgana so we can go back there. Meet you at the gate after school.”

He walked off, leaving her with a suspicious Ryuji.

“What are you two up to?” Ryuji asked.

“We… might have a way to stop Kamoshida, but…”

“What, you're not gonna tell me?” Ryuji grumbled.

“I’m sorry. I don't want to put you in danger.” she told him. “If you find anything else, please tell us.”

The three students went their separate ways, none of them noticing that sometime had been listening in on their entire conversation.

“So… that's how it's gonna be, huh?” Kamoshida scowled. “Guess I’ll have to deal with those four…”

* * *

“Niijima-san?”

She glanced up from some papers that a teacher had asked her to look through, seeing another council member.

“Yes?”

“A student wanted to speak with you.” the council member informed her.

“Of course. They can speak with me.” she answered.

A nervous-looking student entered the room, glancing from side to side.

“Oh! Tachibana-san! Please, take a seat.” Makoto insisted.

Takayo sat down across from her, still looking very nervous.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, worry in her tone.

“It's just… I was talking to a lot of the other students, and…” Takayo trailed off.

“Is this about… what happened this morning?” she asked.

“...Yeah.” Takayo confirmed. “I can't… we can't… we're all pretty shaken up by what happened. We were hoping that maybe we could end classes early today.”

She gave a gentle smile. “I’ll talk with the principal, alright?”

“T-Thank you!” Takayo smiled back. “I r-really appreciate it!”

“I’m happy to help.” she assured her.

As soon as she exited the student council room, however, her smile dropped.

Mishima said that the staff knew about Kamoshida. If that were true, then that must mean that the principal could be aware of it.

Still… if there was even a slight chance that he didn't know, she needed to inform him.

As she approached his office, she overheard him muttering to himself.

“To think that a star player would be such a burden…” the principal sighed. “She didn't even have the decency to do this at her own home…”

She covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Was he talking about Shiho? How could he say that about someone who had just attempted suicide?!

“Is someone there?” the principal asked.

“I-It's me, sir.” she announced. “I need to speak to you.”

“Ah, Niijima-san! I’m quite busy, so please, make this quick.” the principal said.

She stepped into his office, nervously shuffling as she glanced at the ground.

When she glanced up at the principal, she saw that he was looking rather nervous himself, sweat pouring from his head.

“I wanted to talk to you… about what happened this morning.”

The principal frowned. “Ah, of course. Terrible tragedy really. And right before the volleyball team was about to play a big match.”

That was what he was worried about?!

“Sir, a lot of students aren't able to concentrate after what happened.” she explained. “They're pretty shaken up, so maybe we could… end classes early?”

Kobayakawa shook his head. “Our school holds a high reputation, and we have high standards of our students. We can’t afford to end classes over every inconvenience.”

“This is hardly just an inconvenience!” she thought angrily.

Her nervousness left her, replaced by rage that she tried her hardest to keep reigned in.

“Perhaps… you could say something to ease the students fears?” Makoto asked.

Thankfully, the principal seemed to consider it, thinking a few moments before nodding.

“I will look into it.” the principal promised.

“And Sir… there have been rumors flying around that Kamoshida was involved with… what happened to Suzui-san.”

The principal fidgeted in his seat. “N-Niijima-san, that is quite the serious accusation! I can’t just act on rumors, you know!”

“But surely you could investigate, can’t you?” she asked.

“While what happened is tragic, it can’t be helped.” the principal sighed. “There is simply nothing I can do.”

“But couldn't you-”

“Kamoshida’s done wonders for this school’s image over the years.” the principal pointed out, before giving her a wide smile. “I would suggest that, as student council president, you work towards easing the fears of your classmates, so that this doesn't happen again.”

It seemed that infiltrating the castle was their only option.

Then so be it.

She held back her rage, giving a fake smile to match his own.

“Of course, sir.” she said. “I just thought of a _great_ idea to ease the student’s fears. I’m _sure_ that you’ll appreciate it.”

“Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Now, was that all?”

“Yes sir.” she nodded, leaving the room.

There was no doubt in her mind now. They had to go back to the castle.

* * *

“Where the heck did he go?” Ren muttered.

He had spent the past fifteen minutes looking for Morgana, to no avail.

Just when he was about to give up, he spotted Mishima heading towards the gym.

He followed him, making as little noise as possible as he went into the gym.

He quickly found a place to hide, his eyes narrowing when he saw Mishima meeting with Kamoshida.

“Y-You c-called for me, sir?” Mishima stammered.

“I need you to do something for me.” Kamoshida said. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”

“W-What did you need?” Mishima asked.

“The staff will be meeting on the 3rd of May.” Kamoshida explained. “And I’m going to tell them that Sakamoto and Amamiya are responsible for Suzui’s suicide attempt… and you're going to back me up.”

“What?!” Mishima exclaimed. “Why would I-”

“Because if you don't, I’ll tell them about how you leaked Amamiya's criminal record, and get you expelled!” Kamoshida shouted.

“But you forced me to do-”

*BAM*

Kamoshida punched Mishima in the face, knocking him to the ground and leaving a nasty bruise.

“Don't talk back to me!” Kamoshida snarled.

“W-W-What about-”

“Poor, poor, Suzui.” Kamoshida said, his tone more mocking than sorrowful. “The hospital just called, and they said Suzui’s in a coma, with little chance of ever waking up.”

“N-No…” Mishima whispered.

“That’s why you need to do what I say!” Kamoshida commanded.

Ren scowled from behind his hiding place. A part of him wanted to go over there and hit Kamoshida back for everything he’d done, but the rational part of his brain told him that that was an awful idea.

He carefully backtracked out of the gym.

“There you are!”

He whipped around, letting out a breath he was holding in as soon as he saw it was Morgana.

“Where were you?” Ren asked. “I was looking for you earlier.”

“I was busy trying not to get captured by the staff!” Morgana yelled.

“Oh yeah. It would be pretty bad if you were catnapped.” Ren acknowledged.

“I’ll leave.” Morgana threatened.

“Sorry, sorry.” Ren apologized. “But let’s go find Makoto. We’ve… made up our minds.”

He found it hard to concentrate on his remaining classes, and it wasn’t just because he had a cat wriggling in his backpack.

As soon as his last class ended, he rushed as fast as he could to the school gate, where Makoto was waiting for him.

“Did you…?” she trailed off.

“Right here.” he answered, unzipping his backpack, letting Morgana out.

“So, have you made up your mind like he said?” Morgana asked.

“We need to stop Kamoshida, no matter what.” Makoto said, eyes shining with determination.

“We’ll have to be fast.” Ren pointed out. “Kamoshida’s planning to expel me and Ryuji.”

“What?!” she exclaimed.

“He said on the 3rd of May, he's going to tell the staff that me and Ryuji are responsible for Suzui-san’s attempted suicide.” Ren explained. “And he blackmailed Mishima into helping him.”

“That's horrible!” she exclaimed. “Did Kamoshida find out about our investigation?”

“He might have.” Ren replied. “And if he did… then be careful, ok? Kamoshida probably has something planned for you too.”

She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, that's all the more reason to head back to the castle!” Morgana claimed. “Are you two ready?”

They both nodded, and she entered in the information to send the three of them back to the Metaverse…

...none of them noticing that they were being followed.

* * *

As once again winded up right in front of the castle.

“Ok, so all we have to do is-”

“WHERE THE EFF AM I?!”

Shocked by the sudden outburst, they turned to see Ryuji, his mouth agape and his eyes as wide as saucers.

“Ren?! Miss Prez?!” Ryuji yelled. “Where the hell are we?! Why are you dressed like that?! What's that weird cat thing?”

“I’m not a-”

“Sakamoto-kun, how did you get here?” Makoto asked, interrupting Morgana.

“I was just following you guys, wonderin’ what you were up to.” Ryuji explained. “I saw you lookin’ at your phone, and now we're here.”

“I guess the Metaverse app has a bit of range to it.” Ren figured.

“Why weren't you two paying attention?!” Morgana frowned.

“I don't know how he managed to follow us without us noticing.” she excused.

“Maybe he hid behind a book.” Ren teased.

“Do you want to get smacked?!”

“Easy, easy!” Ren said, raising his hands in front of him. “Just a joke.”

She gave a sigh, turning to Morgana. “I guess we ought to tell him.”

They began to explain the Metaverse to Ryuji, and what they were doing here.

“Ughhhh… this is all going way over my head.” Ryuji groaned.

“Think of it like we’re in Kamoshida’s head.” Ren suggested. “This is what he thinks of everything. The ‘king of a castle’, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” Ryuji recalled, perking up.

“Not very bright, is he?” Morgana whispered to her.

“Shh!”

“Anyway, from now on, the two of you are officially Phantom Thieves.” Morgana grinned. “We’ll sneak in and stylishly steal the treasure.”

“Heh… Sounds kinda cool.” Ren grinned.

“First, we’ll need codenames as a precaution.” Morgana informed them.

“Well, maybe we can call you Whiskers.” Ren chuckled.

“Can you stop being such a joker?!” Morgana snapped.

“Joker… I kinda like that.” Ren said. “Hey, maybe that could be my codename.”

“Well, it’s certainly fitting.” Makoto said, shaking her head. “As for you, Morgana… why don’t we keep it simple. Why not Mona?”

Morgana nodded. “Works for me. What about you?”

“What about Shoulder Pads?” Ryuji suggested.

“No.” she denied.

“Maybe… Rider?” Morgana suggested.

“Not that either.” she shook her head.

“Hmm… well, you’re very fierce in battle, but you also give off an elegant vibe…” Morgana trailed off.

“...Queen.” Ren muttered.

“Queen?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

The others turned towards Ren, Ryuji letting out a snicker.

“I-It’s just… Morgana was just talking about elegance, and we’re at a castle, so it’s the first thing I thought off.” Ren murmured, turning away in embarrassment.

For someone who cracked so many jokes, he sure got embarrassed easily.

“It’s not a bad name.” she assured him. “I actually really like it. Queen it is.”

“So, what’s my awesome codename?” Ryuji asked expectantly.

“Um… maybe it would be for the best if you stayed here.” Morgana pointed out. “It’s too dangerous for someone without a Persona.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji yelled. “You think I’m just going to stand here when you finally found a way to take down Kamoshida?!”

“It's too dangerous.” she told him. “We don't want you getting hurt.”

“Just wait here, ok?” Ren asked. “When we’re finished, we’ll come back and get you out of here.”

“Tch… whatever.” Ryuji sulked.

Satisfied that he wouldn't follow them, they entered the castle once more.

* * *

“All Out Attack!”

They all struck at the downed foes at once, Joker doing several flips before striking a pose.

He looked at Mona and her expectantly. “What, not even a ‘looking cool, Joker’?”

“Pfft… showoff.” Mona scoffed.

“Well… it was a little cool.” she admitted. “But please, don't be so reckless, ok?”

“Heads up you two, there are more on the way.” Mona warned. “Let's sneak up on them and rip off their mask!”

She nodded, carefully maneuvering behind the knight.

“Show me your true form!” she shouted, slamming the knight’s face into the ground before ripping off their mask.

The knight revealed itself to be a flying fairy, which they quickly managed to knock to the ground.

“Wait, please, don't kill me!” the fairy begged. “I’ll do anything!”

“Why should I let you live?!” Makoto shouted in rage. “Look at how awful the man you serve is!”

She was beside herself with rage.

“W-Wait!” the fairy begged. “M-Maybe I could help you?”

“Shadows can help us?” she wondered.

Mona raised an eyebrow. “Careful. It's probably a trap.”

“N-N-No!” the fairy stammered. “It's not a trap! I can help! Just the other day, my cousin was telling me about how she helped a boy with these weird tattoos that she met in a hospital and-”

“Get to the point!” she snapped.

“It's just that I could join you and-”

The fairy suddenly gasped.

“I-I remember now!” the fairy shouted. “I’m Pixie! I come from the sea of humanity’s souls. I am thou, thou art I… I shall become your new mask!”

Much to her surprise, the Pixie was absorbed into her mask, causing her to feel a rush of power.

“What just happened?” she muttered in confusion.

“I have no idea!” Mona exclaimed. “I’ve never seen anything like that!”

“That Pixie said that she’d help us, right?” Joker said. “Maybe you can summon her now?”

She figured she’d give it a try. “Pixie! Zio!”

Sure enough, the Pixie from before appeared, summoning a lightning bolt to strike the ground.

“That’s incredible!” Mona praised. “I’ve never seen anyone able to handle more than one Persona!”

“And that’s… good, right?” she asked.

“Oh course!” Mona answered. “Hehehe… you really are something special. But...”

“What is it, Mona?” she asked.

“How are you feeling?” Mona asked. “You seem… on edge.”

“I’m angry. At Kamoshida. At the school. At myself for not noticing sooner.”

Well, this place can be a good outlet for anger…” Mona admitted. “Let your anger out on the shadows if you have to, but try to keep a cool head, ok? That goes for you too, Joker.”

“Joker?”

He had a neutral expression on his face, but the clenched fists at his sides told her that he was furious too.

It was only natural, after what happened to poor Shiho...

She took a moment to compose herself. “You’re right, Mona.”

They continued along the castle hallways, hoping to reach the treasure.

* * *

“DAMN IT! I’M SICK OF WAITING!”

Ryuji shouted to the sky in anger.

“I'm not just gonna sit around and wait for them.” Ryuji muttered.

Ryuji climbed through the vent, ending up inside of the castle.

“So where did those two go…?” he wondered.

“Halt! Stay right where you are!”

Ryuji whipped around, seeing two knights pointing swords at him.

“W-What the hell?!” Ryuji stammered.

“Sakamoto, why aren’t you in your cage!” the knight roared.

“Cage?! What the eff are you talking about?!” Ryuji yelled. “And where are-”

*SLAM*

The knight slammed his shield into Ryuji, knocking him to the ground.

“Let’s bring him to King Kamoshida!” the knight suggested.

The other knight nodded. “He’ll want to personally punish Sakamoto himself.

They each grabbed an arm, dragging Ryuji away to Kamoshida.

* * *

The three Persona users had arrived at another safe room, allowing them to heal their wounds.

“I’m still surprised that those shadows actually drop money.” Queen brought up.

“Yeah, let’s try not to crash the Japanese economy when we get out of here.” Joker chuckled.

“Yes, that… would be bad.” Queen agreed, before turning to Mona. “So, how are we going about stealing Kamoshida’s treasure?”

“First, we need to secure an infiltration route.” Mona explained. “We’ll need to find where his treasure is first!”

“Maybe some sort of treasury?” Queen guessed.

“Probably very far from the entrance.” Joker added.

“No point in speculating. We have to keep exploring!” Mona encouraged.

As they exited the safe room, they overheard two of the knights engaged in conversation.

“I didn’t think that Sakamoto would be the intruder. I thought it would be those kids from before.” the first knight said.

“Doesn’t matter. Let’s just take him back to Kamoshida.” the other knight replied.

“That idiot!” Mona hissed. “We told him to stay put!”

“We have to save him!” she exclaimed.

“Let’s go!” Joker agreed.

They followed the source of the voice, eventually leading them to a long hallway.

“AAAHHHHH!”

A loud scream sounded from the end of the hall.

“That sounded like Ryuji!” Joker yelled.

“We need to hurry!” Queen responded.

They rushed down the hallway, bursting through the door at the end.

Inside, a maliciously grinning Kamoshida stood over Ryuji, who was clutching his stomach on the ground.

“I don’t know how you got here, but I won’t pass up a chance like this.” Kamoshida grinned.

He slammed his foot into Ryuji’s stomach, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Stop it!” she screamed, running into the room with Joker.

“You two again…” Kamoshida scowled.

His guards immediately moved in front of Kamoshida.

“Stay where you are!” Kamoshida commanded. “Move and Sakamoto dies!”

“What the hell is this bullshit?!” Ryuji yelled.

“This is my castle, and I’m the king!” Kamoshida boasted.

“You’re not my king, bastard!” Ryuji shouted.

Kamoshida delivered another kick to Ryuji’s stomach, causing him to groan in pain.

“I told you to stop!” Queen cried.

“This fool dared to talk back to me!” Kamoshida roared. “He should be punished!”

“Like, I think the punishment for talking back should totally be death.”

They all turned, gasping at the newcomer.

“Ann?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “What are you doing here?!”

Ann Takamaki stood next to Kamoshida, a ditzy look on her face, and wearing nothing but a bikini and a cat ear hairband.

“Takamaki-san?!” Makoto gasped.

“Ryuji, you should like, totally follow King Kamoshida’s orders! Just like me, and Shiho, and the rest of the sports teams!”

“You’re totally right, Ann.”

Once again, another newcomer walked right next to Kamoshida.

“Suzui-san too...” Joker muttered.

Suzui wore a bunny bikini and large bunny ears, a seductive look on her face.

“If everyone would listen to King Kamoshida, things would go better for all of us.” Suzui claimed. “That’s what all the sports teams think, including your teammates.”

“Exactly! You three should be more like Takamaki and Suzui.” Kamoshida grinned, throwing an arm around both girls. “…and the rest of the volleyball team.”

He gestured to the side, where all the other members of the volleyball team sat there, topless and moaning in ecstasy.

“M-Mona, are these…?” Queen trailed off.

“Don’t worry, these are just cognitions!” Mona assured her.

“Don’t listen to them, Ryuji!” Joker called. “They’re not real!”

“So what?” Kamoshida scoffed. “They’re telling the truth, aren’t they? If Takamaki would have just slept with me at my place, everything would have been fine. But she didn’t, so Suzui had to take her place. That must be why she jumped.”

“W-W-What…?” Queen stammered. “You… You forced Suzui-san to…”

Before, she could only speculate as to what he had done. But now…

“You sick, aberrant bastard!” she screamed. “You’re no king! You’re an irredeemable predator!”

“Out of our way.” Ren said coldly to the knights, the sheer rage in his expression causing them to take a step back.

“And that’s not all!” Kamoshida continued. “If you had just accepted my training like your teammates, I wouldn’t have had to dissolve the track team.”

“It wasn’t training!” Ryuji argued. “It was abuse!”

“That isn’t how they see it!” Kamoshida grinned. “They, their parents, and the school all call it training. They accept their place below me, and don’t do anything to stop me! But you… you’re just pathetic trash that doesn’t even realize it!”

“Damn it… it’s all your fault… my busted leg… the track team…” Ryuji muttered.

“No one should be able to succeed but me!” Kamoshida grinned. “Only me and my team. Now then… before I kill you, why don’t I bust up your other leg too…”

“Ryuji, don’t let him get to you!” Joker yelled.

She couldn’t bear to watch him get beat anymore. “Sakamoto-kun! Please, get up! You wanted to fight on behalf of your teammates, right?! For Ann and Shiho?! So fight!”

“You’re right…” Ryuji muttered.

Kamoshida had one of the girls fetch an iron club, which he held over Ryuji’s leg, a maniacal grin on his face.

Ryuji grit his teeth, rolling out of the way at the last second, pushing past the pain to force himself to his feet.

“You took everything from me…” Ryuji glared. “Me, and everyone else… you treat everyone like your slaves… the only trash here is you!”

He clenched his fist, fueled by pure willpower.

“So stop lookin’ down on me with that stupid smile on your face!” Ryuji cried, his eyes glowing yellow.

Ryuji punched Kamoshida in the mouth, causing him to fall to the ground and drop the club.

_“You made me wait quite a while.”_

Ryuji clutched at his head, falling back to his knees.

One of the knights began to panic, not sure whether to help their king or to continue blocking them.

“Mona! Joker! Now!” she commanded.

They capitalized on the knight’s hesitation, making quick work of it, and running past the second.

_“You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact.”_

Ryuji started to cry out in pain as they rushed to his side.

_“Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? The “other you” who exists within desires it thus…”_

“Him too…” Mona whispered.

_“I am thou… thou art I… there is no turning back! The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!_

A skull mask appeared on Ryuji’s face, which he wasted no time in trying to grab.

“How many of you freaks are there?!” Kamoshida cried out in fear, running out of the room with the girls.

Ryuji ripped off the mask, causing a familiar blue pillar to surround him. When it disappeared, Ryuji’s appearance had changed as well. He now wore a black jacket and pants, with pads on his elbows and knees, yellow gloves, and a red ascot.

Behind him stood a skeleton pirate riding atop a ship.

“Wassup, Persona!” Ryuji ginned. “This effin’ rocks!”

Mona quickly healed Ryuji’s wounds, before all four of them turned to the remaining knight.

“For King Kamoshida!” the knight cried before reforming into a horned demon sitting on a floating toilet.

“What the heck is that?!” Mona said in disgust.

“Who cares. The sooner we kill it, the sooner we get to Kamoshida.” Ren said, glaring at the demon.

Ryuji grabbed the discarded club. “All right! Let’s go… Captain Kidd!”

She quickly charged the demon, dodging a blast of ice to punch it in the face.

Joker unloaded all of his ammo into the shadow, while Ryuji had Captain Kidd lunge at the enemy.

“Ugh… this thing is resilient.” Mona groaned, healing Ryuji.

“Then let’s try magic!” Queen suggested.

Joker and Mona nodded, firing an Eiha and Garu spell respectively.

The demon grimaced but took minimal damage.

It fired another ice spell, hitting Ryuji in the chest.

“Sakamoto-kun!” she called out.

“Heh… this is nothin’!” Ryuji grinned. “Let’s go, Captain!”

Ryuji fired a bolt of lightning, striking the demon. The lightning spread through its body, leaving it unable to move.

“It’s shocked!” Mona exclaimed. “Quickly Queen, hit it with nuclear magic!”

She did just that, firing a Frei spell that did immense damage. The demon groaned in pain, falling to the ground.

“It’s down! Let’s get him now!” Queen commanded.

Fueled by their rage at Kamoshida’s actions, they went all out against the downed foe. Ryuji delivered the final blow, lunging into the foe, shattering his toilet and causing him to dissolve into ooze.

“Hell yeah, we got him!” Ryuji cheered.

As soon as he said that, he collapsed to his knees, exhaustion overtaking him.

“Damn it…” Ryuji grunted.

“He must be exhausted after awakening his persona.” Mona figured. “Let’s retreat for now!”

They helped Ryuji to his feet, helping him out of the castle and back to the real world.

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you enjoy Ryuji's awakening? Thanks for reading everyone.


	7. Stocking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all of your comments and kudos! I'm very thankful for all of the support!

After confirming that they had all returned to the real world, she decided to check on the other’s condition.

“Everyone okay?” she asked.

“I’m good.” Ryuji assured her. “Just tired as hell… and still tryin’ to wrap my head around this shit.”

“It’s a lot to take in at once.” Ren admitted. “I don’t we head somewhere we can sit down.

They all agreed, heading to some nearby benches by some vending machines.

“Well, even if we had to leave early, I’m much more confident in taking Kamoshida’s treasure now that we have more manpower.” Morgana said.

“That cat… err, whatever he is… really can talk.” Ryuji muttered.

“Morgana, you want Ryuji to join us?” Makoto asked.

“Hell yeah I want to join!” Ryuji yelled. “This is the only way I can think of to stop Kamoshida!”

“I feel like you’d go even if we said no, you’d still go charging in there.” Ren chuckled. “Guess we have to let you join.”

“Aw, come on, Renren!” Ryuji grinned. “I ain’t that reckless!”

“Wait… Renren?” she repeated.

“Damn it, Ryuji.” Ren muttered.

“It’s my nickname for him!” Ryuji grinned.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Ren muttered.

She walked in front of him, a bright smile on her face. “I think it’s a great nickname… Renren.”

Ren tried to hide his bright red face behind his hand, looking to the side.

Ryuji and Makoto started to laugh, which only made him blush harder.

“Heh… for someone who cracks a lot of jokes, you sure get flustered really easily.” Morgana grinned.

“I-I guess if Ma-if both of you want to call me that… then I guess it’s ok.” Ren muttered.

She let out a few more giggles, happy to have turned the tables on him before facing Ryuji.

“Sakamoto-kun… I wanted to apologize.” she confessed. “I said some rather harsh words to you.”

Ryuji shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I said some rude stuff too… I’m also sorry.”

She saw Ren give a small smile, happy that they were getting along.

“If you want, you can just call me Ryuji.” Ryuji suggested.

“In that case, please, call me Makoto.” she offered. “I hope that we can continue to work together and make Kamoshida pay for his crimes!”

“Hell yeah!” Ryujj agreed. “That bastard won’t know what hit him! We’ll stop him… for Ann, for the teams, and for Suzui-san!”

She sensed a strong determination from Ryuji...

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Chariot** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**CHARIOT CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“Glad you two are getting along.” Ren grinned.

“Yeah! I even taught her about your nickname!” Ryuji smirked.

“...Never mind, I take it back.” Ren deadpanned.

“Ryuji, we should all exchange contact info.” she suggested. “I’ll make a group chat for the three of us.”

“Oh yeah, good idea!” Ryuji nodded.

He took out his phone, and after exchanging info, Morgana leapt atop the bench.

“We’re going to need a secret hideout where we can quickly meet up!” Morgana spoke up.

“Why not the roof?” Ryuji suggested. “Not many people go there.”

“They’ll likely close it off after… what happened.” she brought up. “But I think we can make it work.”

“We’ll also need to craft infiltration tools, like lockpicks and smoke bombs.” Morgana added.

“I can handle that.” Ren offered. “My guardian leaves at night, so I can make them then.”

“Good! We can discuss further preparations tomorrow on the roof!” Morgana said.

“Err… what about you, Morgana?” Ryuji wondered. “Ain't the staff gonna be lookin’ for you? You can't just keep wandering around.”

“Maybe one of us could take him in?” Ren suggested.

“I could try to convince my sister to take him in.” Makoto told them.

“Sounds good.” Ren nodded. “Let's meet up tomorrow then.”

After Morgana gave Ren tips for making infiltration tools, they went their separate ways, and she went on the train.

She found that petting Morgana helped put her at ease.

* * *

When she arrived home, she saw that her sister still hadn't gotten off work.

After studying for an hour, the sound of the door opening alerted her to her sister's arrival.

“Makoto, I’m h… is that a cat?” Sae muttered.

“It's a stray.” she quickly said. “I found him on the way home.”

“You should have just left it.” Sae scoffed. “Bring it to a shelter tomorrow then.”

“I want to keep him.”

“...What?”

“I want to keep him, sis.” she repeated.

Sae shook her head. “Makoto, are you serious? Do you really think I have time to take care of both you and a cat?!”

“I-I’ll take care of him!” she insisted. “I’ll feed him, play with him, make sure he gets enough exercise… everything!”

“Makoto, why are you so insistent about this?” Sae wondered.

She paused, knowing she couldn't tell her truth.

“Or maybe I can…” she mused.

“He… calms me down when I take the train.” she admitted.

Sae’s expression softened. “I see.”

Sae seemed to think it over for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

“Fine.” Sae relented. “I suppose you could stand to learn a little personal responsibility for once. But if it starts interfering with your stud-”

“Thank you, sis!” she beamed. “Thank you very much!”

“You're welcome.” Sae nodded. “I have some work to do. Don’t stay up too late.”

As her sister went to her room, Morgana jumped next to her.

“Geez, your sister is intense!” Morgana grimaced.

“Sorry about that.” Makoto apologized. “Her work is very stressful.”

“Why does she get to decide that I stay, anyway?” Morgana scoffed. “What about your parents?”

She frowned. “My parents… aren’t around anymore.”

Morgana gave a sympathetic look. “Oh, I’m sorry… it’s not too much for me to stay here, is it?”

She gave the not-cat a small smile, petting his head. “It’s alright.” she assured him. “Sis works so hard to support me… but it gets a little lonely sometimes.”

Morgana couldn’t help but let out a purr as she began scratching behind his ears.

“Here.”

They looked up, seeing Sae placing a bowl of milk for Morgana.

“I prepared some milk for him… but only because he keeps meowing!” Sae insisted.

“Has Morgana already grown on you, sis?” she giggled.

“You’ve already named him?” Sae asked.

“Did you… want to name him yourself, sis?” she asked.

“Of course not!” Sae quickly denied. “I was just curious.”

She brought her textbooks to her room, Morgana following after her.

The not-cat glanced around her room before giving her a weird look.

“You, uh… really like pandas, huh?” Morgana observed. “It's better than that cell I was in, but, uh...

“T-That's not important right now!” she squeaked, her face heating up. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you really not have any memory of your past?” she asked.

“All I remember are things related to the Metaverse and phantom thievery.” Morgana admitted. “But because of that, I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to get back my true form.”

“That must've been why he was in the castle.” she mused.

“So, your true form… is it human?” she asked.

“It has to be!” Morgana insisted. “That's why I can talk like this!”

“I suppose so…” she replied. “Well, you’ve been a big help to us so far, so if there's anything I can do to help you…”

“Mweh heh heh!” Morgana laughed. “I was hoping you'd ask. Having someone as strong as you helps my plan a lot!”

“He sounds so mischievous when he puts it like that…” she thought.

“Although, I want our deal to be equally beneficial to both of us!” Morgana told her. “You help me, and I’ll help you become a better phantom thief… cause let's be honest, your stealth skills kinda suck.”

“They do not!”

“Um, yeah they do.” Morgana argued. “You really thought hiding behind a book was stealthy?”

She groaned, burying her face in her pillow to hide her embarrassment.

“Pillows aren't stealthy either.” Morgana pointed out.

“Fine!” she exclaimed. “I guess that… I could use a bit of help.”

She reached out her hand and shook Morgana’s… paw, and sealed their deal.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Magician** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**MAGICIAN CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“It’s getting pretty late though, so you should go to bed.” Morgana recommended.

“You’re right.” she nodded. “We’ll work things out tomorrow.”

She rested her head on her pillow, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**4/16 Saturday**

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice Morgana hanging out in her desk or bag for the entire day.

After classes had concluded, she made her way to the roof, but when she arrived, she didn’t find Ren or Ryuji, but a girl with the fluffiest hair she had ever seen.

“O-Oh, Niijima-san?” the girl gasped. “I-I’m sorry, I just needed to grab my plants. I’ll leave soon.”

“Your… plants?” she repeated.

“I grow plants here on the rooftop.” the girl explained. “But I suppose I’ll have to grow them somewhere else now.”

“Do you need any help moving them, uh...”

“Haru Okumura.” the girl answered.

“Okumura… wait, as in Okumura Foods?!” she gasped.

“...Yes… that's right.” Haru whispered, frowning.

Before she could ask what was wrong, Haru excused herself, leaving the roof. Hopefully, no one else except for Ren and Ryuji would come to the roof.

They didn't want to draw attention to themselves.

“HELL YEAH! I BEAT YOU, REN!”

Well, so much for that…

Ryuji burst through the door to the roof, Ren following after him.

“I… can't keep up.” Ren panted.

“What the heck are you two doing?!” Morgana yelled.

“I challenged Ren to a race.” Ryuji grinned.

She placed her index finger to her forehead, letting out a sigh.

“Please don't make so much noise.” she requested. “We aren't supposed to be up here.”

Morgana hopped out of her bag, listing everything they’d need for the infiltration.

Ryuji looked very excited, while Ren idly spun his phone on his finger.

Predictably, it fell, Ren barely able to catch it before it hit the ground, then trying to play it cool.

A dangerous criminal, he most certainly was not.

“All right, listen up!” Morgana command. “If we want this infiltration to go smoothly, we’ll need supplies. Stuff like medicine.”

“There's a small clinic near Leblanc.” Ren brought up.

“Perfect! You can grab some pain medicine and ointments there!” Morgana advised. “And for what else we need…”

Morgana pointed his paw at Ryuji.

“Ren said he got his model gun from you, Ryuji.” Morgana recalled. “Do you know where we can get more?”

“Oh yeah! I know a place.” Ryuji grinned.

“Great! Ren already has one, so the three of us can get guns there too!” Morgana said.

“Actually, I already got somethin’.” Ryuji grinned, pulling out a slingshot from his bag.

“A slingshot?!” Morgana complained. “Why would you bring that!?!”

“I mean, it could be a good weapon for you.” Ren shrugged. “Can you handle a gun with your, uh… paws?”

“Grr... fine!” Morgana relented.

“Alright! Ren’ll get the drugs, and we’ll get the guns!” Ryuji said excitedly.

“Do you want the entire city to hear you?!” Morgana yelled.

She shook her head, letting Ryuji lead the way to their destination.

* * *

“So, uh… I know you’re a girl… but do you know anything about guns and shit?” Ryuji asked.

“A decent amount.” she confessed. “And if we have questions, we can ask.”

Ryuji led her to an Airsoft shop in a back alley of Shibuya. To stay that it looked incredibly sketchy would be an understatement. The man behind the counter looked rather intimidating. He wore a long grey coat, as well as a grey hat with yellow ear protectors. On his neck was a tattoo of a gecko.

They walked up to the counter, and she cleared her throat to grab his attention from the magazine he was holding.

He raised an eyebrow at her, although, to be fair, she probably looked very out of place here.

“...You want a recommendation or something?” the man asked.

“Uh… yeah, something like that.” Ryuji answered.

The man shrugged, getting back to his magazine. “Dunno. Just get whatever catches your eye.”

Not exactly a shining example of customer service.

“Come on, man, what kinda answer is that?” Ryuji groaned.

The man sighed. “Fine, what do you want then? An automatic? A revolver?”

That caught her attention.

Ryuji, however, just looked confused. “Automatic? Why are you talkin’ about cars?”

“Listen, this is an enthusiast shop. My regulars will get annoyed if I let a casual like you hang here.” the man said, beginning to grow annoyed.

Before Ryuji could respond, she quickly spoke up.

“Apologies about my friend. He’s still new to collecting. Now, you said you had revolvers?” she asked. “Would you, by chance, happen to stock Peacemakers?”

The man’s lips curled into a smile. “What, you into western films?”

“I’m a collector.” she smoothly said. “The gun didn’t originate here in Japan, but it still has quite a history to it, being used in numerous conflicts in the west. And I heard that I could find high quality models here.”

“You heard right.” the man grinned. “You know your stuff, lady. The revolvers are to your left.”

“Thank you.” she grinned.

She went over the revolver section, Ryuji following her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“W-W-Wha… you know about guns, Miss Prez?!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“When I was little, I begged and begged my father for a model revolver until he finally got me one.” she admitted. “And I researched guns like it a lot a few years later.”

She remembered making her father and sister play cops and robbers with her all the time when she got the model.

She let out a small laugh, remembering a time when she threw a fit when Sae took Buchi-kun hostage.

Those were simpler times…

“Well, shit, you know this stuff better than me!” Ryuji said, surprised.

“Was there anything that you wanted?” she asked.

“Well…” Ryuji trailed off, glancing around the store. “Oh, a shotgun! Kickass!”

“I guess that settles it.” Makoto smiled.

They went up to the register, ready to make their purchase.

“Don't go pointing these things at people, ok?” the man warned. “I don't want the police coming here to question me cause you caused some trouble.”

“We’ll be careful.” Makoto promised.

“You’d better.” the man grunted.

As they exited the store, she checked her remaining yen.

“Not much…” she mused. “Maybe… I should look into getting a part-time job.”

“Man, you’re more hardcore than I thought, Miss Prez.” Ryuji grinned.

“H-Hardcore?!” she repeated.

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji grinned. “You know about guns, you have a badass thief outfit, you ride a motorcycle, and you called Kamoshida a bastard to his face!”

“I-I was just really angry!” she stammered.

“You also beat those shadows with your fists. Maybe we ought to call you the Fist of the Phantom Star!” Ryuji laughed.

“Please don’t…”

“Next you’re gonna be tellin’ me you like Yakuza movies or somethin’.” Ryuji laughed.

“...Um…”

“Wait… FOR REAL?!” Ryuji gasped. “I was joking!”

“L-Let’s just drop it!” she insisted, handing him the bag with the shotgun. “I’ll see you Monday.”

“Yeah, see you!” Ryuji grinned.

She returned home, thankful that her sister wasn't home so that she could hide her model revolver.

After studying for exams, she headed to bed, but received a text message before falling asleep.

Ren: You still up?

Makoto: Yes. Is something wrong?

Ren: I was just worried. Kamoshida didn’t try anything on you today, did he?

Makoto: He hasn't tried anything yet, but I’ll be careful.

Makoto: And I promise that we’ll steal Kamoshida’s treasure soon, ok?

Ren: Thanks. Good night.

She let out a little smirk, a mischievous idea coming to her.

Makoto: Good night… Renren.

Typing…

Typing…

She let out a giggle, picturing the embarrassed look on his face.

Makoto: Isn’t this the part where you say something witty?

Ren: Um…

Ren: Something witty?

She smiled as she wrote her response.

Makoto: See you tomorrow, Ren.

Typing…

Ren: Yeah. See you.

She placed her head on her pillow, smiling as she fell asleep.

* * *

**4/17 Sunday**

She was awoken by the sound of her phone dinging.

“Urgh, who’s texting you this early?” Morgana groaned.

She rubbed at her eyes before glancing at her phone.

Eiko: Heyyy, Miss Prez! You wanna go shopping in the Underground Mall at 10?

Right, Eiko did suggest that the two of them shop together sometime.

Makoto: Sure, I’d love to.

Eiko: Great! See you there!

She put her phone back down, trying to get a little more sleep in before her day began.

* * *

“She should be around here somewhere…” she muttered.

“You think something came up?” Morgana asked from her bag.

“She would have said something.” she replied.

They looked around a little more, eventually spotting her.

“Oh, Miss Prez!” Eiko greeted, running up to her. “There you are!”

“Hello, Takao-san.” she greeted.

“You don't, like, have to be so formal.” Eiko assured her. “You can just call me Eiko.”

“O-Oh, alright.” she nodded. “So, what are we shopping for?”

Eiko looked her up and down, thinking to herself.

“Eiko?” she questioned, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Maybe… we could shop for clothes.” Eiko's suggested. “No offense, but like, your clothes aren't… the most fashionable.”

“I suppose… I’ve always gone for functional over fashionable.” she admitted. “I don't really know a whole lot about fashion or makeup…”

“What?” Eiko gasped. “Do you not wear makeup?!”

“N-No.” she stammered. “Is that… bad?”

“Alright Miss Prez, come with me.” Eiko told her. “I’m about to introduce you to the wonderful world of cosmetics!”

Eiko dragged her to a bunch of stores, each one selling a variety of jewelry and makeup.

“Let's start simple.” Eiko suggested. “With some perfume!”

She held out a small sample.

“This is one of my favorites.” Eiko said. “Come on, give it a try!”

She sprayed the sample, the smell of strawberries filling the air.

“That… smells really nice.” she admitted.

“Uh-huh!” Eiko nodded. “I knew you'd like it. Oh, and BTDubs, this place has all kinds of other products, so if you ever need advice, you can ask me, ok?”

“BTDubs…?” she repeated.

“It means ‘by the way’.” Eiko clarified. “Anyway, I’m a little hungry from all this running around. You want to grab something to eat? My treat~”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I can pay.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Eiko grinned. “I have a big allowance.”

“Well, alright, if you insist.” she relented.

Eiko led her to a nearby sweet stand, the two of them ordering ice cream parfaits at Eiko’s recommendation.

“Aren’t these great, Miss Prez?” Eiko grinned.

“I don’t know… there’s so much sugar…” she trailed off.

“Aw, come on Miss Prez, live a little!” Eiko encouraged. “A little sweet now and then isn’t that bad!”

“Well… I guess you’re right.” she smiled, happily digging into her parfait. “To be honest, I’m glad that you asked me to do this. I needed something to get my mind off of…”

“...Everything that happened, right?” Eiko whispered.

“Yeah.” Makoto muttered. “What happened on Friday was… awful.”

Eiko nodded. “Kamoshida was already looking for someone to replace her on Saturday. Like, it’s too soon, you know?”

“That’s horrible.” Makoto replied. “He hasn’t asked you, has he?”

“He did, but I refused.” Eiko explained. “I saw all the bruises his team has after practice, and I wanted none of that.”

“I just wish they would talk with me.” she sighed. “But I’m afraid that I’m too… different from them, I suppose.”

“Well… today helped a little, didn’t it?” Eiko asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, a lot of students come down here to hang out together.” Eiko brought up. “So now you know. And wouldn’t that like, totally make you more relatable to the other students?”

“That’s a good point.” she admitted. “Although, I have no idea where to start.”

“Relax.” Eiko assured her. “You just need to expand your horizons a bit.”

“Expand my horizons… yes, I suppose you’re right.” she nodded.

“And, well… if you _really_ want to help out the student body…” Eiko trailed off. “Well, exams are coming up, and I’m not exactly confident in my math skills, sooooo…”

She smiled. “I’d be happy to help you. We’re in the same year, so we can study for our exams together.”

“Thank you so much! I owe you, Miss Prez!” Eiko grinned.

They studied for about an hour, as by then, Eiko’s head was on the table.

“Eiko?” she called, concerned.

“Uggggggh.” Eiko groaned. “I haaaaate math.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad.” she replied.

“That’s easy for you to say.” Eiko mumbled. “You have, like, the best grades of the third years.”

Eiko let out another groan, her brain completely fried.

“Hmm… oh, I know how to cheer you up!” Makoto beamed, bringing out her phone. “Look Eiko, I took a picture of my Buchi collection.”

“Really?!” Eiko exclaimed, immediately perking up. “Ohhh, let me see!”

She sent her a picture on her phone, showing her with all of her Buchi plushies, mousepad, calculator, her pajamas, and of course her pencil case.

“Aww, that’s so cute, Miss Prez!” Eiko grinned. “Oh, and that reminds me!”

She pulled out a white notebook with a panda pattern.

“I wanted to give you this Buchi diary!” Eiko offered. “To add to your collection.”

“Eiko, are you sure? Don’t you want it?” she asked.

“I already have one, so I thought I’d give this to you.” Eiko told her. “Think of it as thanks for helping me out and spending time with me.”

“In that case, I’ll happily accept.” she smiled, taking the diary. “I had a lot of fun. Maybe we could do this again another time.”

“Yeah! It’s a promise!”

As they agreed to meet up again, she heard the voice once more...

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Faith** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**FAITH CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

She said goodbye to Eiko before heading home. For once, her sister was home, typing on her laptop.

“Hey, sis, I’m home.” she smiled.

“Where were you?” Sae asked. “You were gone for a while.”

“I was spending time with a friend.” she answered.

“Aren’t your exams coming up?” Sae asked, not lifting her gaze from her computer.

“W-We studied a bit while we were spending time together.” she defended.

Sae looked a little skeptical, but didn’t press her.

“Working on a case, sis?” she asked.

Sae nodded. “Another psychotic breakdown. It was a journalist for a small tabloid looking into gangs and mental shutdowns in Shibuya. But a few days ago, he suddenly started attacking people in the area.”

“Why would they do that?” she asked.

“That's what I’m trying to figure out.” Sae muttered. “He claims to have no memory of the incident, but he burst into tears when he told him what he did.”

“Did he have a history of violence? Was he ever convicted for something like that?” Makoto wondered.

Sae scoffed. “He will be soon.”

“...You certainly are looking into these types of cases a lot.” she mentioned. “Psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns.”

“They’ve been the only thing the news will talk about for months.” Sae sighed. “We don’t know why they happen, and there’s no pattern with the targets. Politicians, yakuza, law enforcement… even regular people like that conductor have all been targeted.”

“Maybe they had enemies?” she suggested.

Sae rolled her eyes. “That was the first thing we checked, Makoto. The victims aren’t connected in any way, and many of them don’t have enemies.

“Then-”

“Makoto, just focus on your studies.” Sae cut her off. “A naive high schooler doesn’t know the first thing about solving a case.”

It seemed her sister was in a sour mood…

“Sorry, sis.” she whispered, heading off to her room.

Sae continued to glance at her screen.

There was a lot of pressure to solve these cases as soon as possible. The longer it took for them to solve these cases, the more faith the public would lose in them.

And maybe…

She shook her head. Right now, there were more important things to do than to figure that out…

* * *

**4/18 Monday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 14**

She walked up to the gate at Shujin Academy. While she had appreciated the respite from school and Phantom Thievery on Sunday, they needed to steal Kamoshida’s treasure, and fast.

Speaking of which, she saw him standing at the front entrance, greeting students.

“Niijima-san, good morning!” Kamoshida greeted.

She saw him take a quick glance around, before stepping in front of her.

It really sunk in how he towered over her in that moment.

She cringed as he placed a hand on her shoulder, getting closer to her face.

“I heard a _very_ interesting conversation on Friday.” Kamoshida told her. “You, Sakamoto, and Amamiya had a… fascinating conversation with Mishima.”

She felt her blood run cold. They should have been more careful.

“Makoto, run.” Morgana whispered. “I’ll distract him!”

She quickly shushed him, causing Kamoshdida to raise an eyebrow.

“What was that?” the gym teacher asked.

“N-Nothing.” she lied. “And I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

Kamoshida frowned, gripping her shoulder harder. “Don’t be like that, Niijima. You know what I’m talking about."

“...Are you going to expel me too?” she asked.

Kamoshida’s expression turned into an unnerving grin. “Of course not. I’d never expel someone as… gifted as you are. It’s always a shame when things happen to gifted students like Suzui.”

His hand moved from her shoulder, sliding down her arm towards her hand.

“Suzui… was one of my favorites.” Kamoshida grinned. “I’ve been looking for someone to replace her."

She had the distinct feeling he wasn’t referring to volleyball.

She forcefully removed her arm from his hand, sidestepping him. “I need to head to class.”

She quickly entered the building before he could harass her any further.

As classes continued, Kamoshida’s behavior and his palace continued to unnerve her, making it hard to concentrate. She figured that he wouldn’t try to expel her… but he feared that he still had something horrible planned for her.

And her fears were realized when, at the end of the day, as she heard the intercom blaring, her heart sank into her stomach.

“Makoto Niijima, please report to the P.E Faculty Office.”

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 1

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 1

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1


	8. Start of Darkness

She could feel fear begin to grip at her. This had to be Kamoshida’s doing. It was the end of the day, so very few people would be around.

Her hands were shaking, and her legs refused to move.

“Niijima-san, did you hear?” her teacher questioned. “They need you in the P.E Faculty Office.”

Slowly, she got on her feet, making her way out of the classroom, hearing the whispers of her classmates as she walked by.

As soon as she finished dragging her feet out of the room, she got a text message.

Ren: Don’t panic, ok? I have a plan.

She quickly responded.

Makoto: A plan?

Ren: I’ll call you and record the conversation. But if you feel uncomfortable, get out of there.

Makoto: I’m not sure he’ll let me.

Ren: I’ll think of a lie to get you out of there. Just follow along.

Knowing that she had Ren’s support, she felt just a little bit better.

He was certainly crafty.

Makoto: Thank you so much.

Ren: Don’t mention it. Stay safe, ok? Ryuji and I will get there as fast as we can.

Makoto: Of course.

“Hey!” Morgana called. “Set your bag down there so I can sneak around, ok?”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Morgana ginned. “I can handle this no problem.”

She took a few deep breaths before continuing, making her way to the P.E Faculty Room, and into Kamoshida’s office.

“Niijima-san, there you are.” Kamoshida grinned. “Close the door, will you?”

Reluctantly, she did so. After she did that, she set her bag down on a nearby table, allowing Morgana to sneak around while Kamoshida wasn’t looking.

“Niijima-san, we need to talk.” Kamoshida began. “I’m a little concerned about who you’ve been hanging around with.”

“If this is about Re- Amamiya-kun, I’m simply his tutor.” she lied. “The principal himself requested I tutor him, Sir.”

“Niijima-san.” Kamoshida muttered, his tone growing more hostile. “I’ve seen you with Amamiya and Sakamoto. Those two keep bothering my athletes, and I wouldn’t want you to follow their example.”

“It's simply out of concern, sir.” she excused. “I saw that the athletes were injured, so I was worried about them.”

“You never seemed to notice until recently.” Kamoshida pointed out.

“T-That… it was brought to my attention.” she stammered.

“By those two punks, right?” Kamoshida said, narrowing his eyes.

“Sir, I’m not sure calling them that is-”

“Stop it.” Kamoshida cut her off. “You’re making my athletes uncomfortable. This is your final warning.”

She knew that the best course would be to agree to his demands, while secretly meeting with the others.

But she couldn't let go of the rage she felt at what he had done to Shiho and the other athletes.

The urge to defy him right to his face grew stronger by the second.

“I’m afraid that I can't do that.” she told him. “If there's even a chance that something is happening to them, it's my responsibility to help them.”

“That's a shame…” Kamoshida trailed off.

She watched as Kamoshida locked the door behind her.

Immediately, she reached into the pocket, grabbing her phone.

“S-Sorry, I need to take this!” she quickly said.

She brought her phone to her ear.

“Hey.” Ren whispered. “Pretend I’m a family member coming by the school.”

“Sis?!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Kamoshida’s eyes widened, suddenly hesitant.

“You’re seeing the principal, sis?” Makoto asked, continuing the ruse. “Ok, I’ll be right there!”

She quickly unlocked the door, but Kamoshida seemed to have caught on to her ruse.

He grabbed her skirt, trying to tug it down. She was about to throw a punch when she saw Morgana leap into the air.

“This is for locking me up!” Morgana hissed, clinging and scratching at Kamoshida's face.

The gym teacher cried out in pain, releasing his grip on her and reaching for Morgana.

“Go! I’ll catch up!” Morgana yelled.

She quickly grabbed her bag and ran out the door as fast as she could.

She saw Ren and Ryuji right outside, running up to her.

“Makoto, are you ok?!” Ren exclaimed.

“That bastard didn't touch you, did he?” Ryuji scowled. “I swear, if he did…”

“He tried, but I managed to get away.” she told them. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I recorded anything concrete.”

“That’s fine. Your safety is more important.” Ren insisted.

“We need to get back to the castle. Are we prepared?” she asked.

“We got the medicine and the models!” Ryuji nodded. “Let's go.”

Ren and Ryuji stood close by as they ran out the school, keeping watch for Kamoshida.

“We won’t let that pervert touch lay a finger on you.” Ren promised.

“I’ll knock his effin’ teeth out if he tries anything!” Ryuji scowled.

“B-But… you’ll be expelled.” she warned.

“Doesn’t matter.” Ren shook his head. “I won’t just sit by and let him do whatever he wants. Especially when he’s messing with my friends.”

“Same here!” Ryuji nodded.

“G-Guys…” Makoto whispered, trying to hold back tears. “Thank you…”

Thankfully, it seemed Morgana had caused enough chaos that no one was paying attention to them as they ran through the halls.

Speaking of which...

“Yah!”

She felt Morgana leap into her bag, snickering to herself.

“You got away?” she asked.

“Of course! I’m an experienced Phantom Thief.” Morgana bragged.

They snuck away into a nearby ally, making their way to Kamoshida’s castle.

* * *

“First thing’s first.” Mona began. “We need a codename for this guy.”

“Ohh, a codename! That sounds awesome!” Ryuji grinned. “Make it simple, but cool-sounding too!”

“Then… why not Skull, after your mask?” Queen suggested.

“Hell yeah!” Skull grinned. “I like it.”

“Heh… I think Bonehead would be more fitting.” Mona grinned.

“Can it, cat!” Skull exclaimed.

“I’m not a cat!”

As Joker tried to calm them down, Makoto glanced around, seeing one of the wardens around a strange blue cell door.

“My master wishes to speak with you.” Justine explained.

Cautiously, she went inside the door, sending her back to the Velvet Room.

“Well done.” Igor praised. “It seems you remembered my words… it is truly worth rehabilitating you.”

“I’d ask what that meant, but I doubt you’ll give me a straight answer.” she sighed.

Caroline slammed her baton against the cell. “Show some respect, inmate!”

Igor simply chuckled. “I do not mean to withhold information. Continue to find allies who share your ideals and lend you aid, and I shall explain it all.”

“Will you lend me aid as well?” she asked.

“That is why you are here today!” Igor grinned. “As you were chosen to wield the wild card in this game, you can handle more than one Persona. We shall assist you in nurturing this power.”

“How so?” she asked.

“Execution.” Igor replied.

“W-W-What?!” she stammered, backing away.

Igor laughed again. “Don’t be alarmed. Persona are part of your personality. You will simply be discarding old parts of your personality for new ones.

That… didn’t make her feel better at all.

Igor instructed her to choose two of her Persona for execution. After some thought, she decided to offer Pixie and Jack-o'-Lantern. She cringed as she watched the wardens operate two guillotines to execute her Persona, causing waves of energy to shoot out and form…

“Um… can I get a do over?” she pleaded.

“NO!” Caroline shouted.

She sighed, glancing at her Persona.

The phallic horned imp, which she now knew as Incubus, snickered mischievously.

“Excellent.” Igor complimented. “Now, continue to gather Persona, and continue to execute them, so that you may play your integral role against the coming ruin.”

“We will provide a variety of rituals relating to executions to aid in your rehabilitation.” Justine added.

“And if you actually put in some effort, our master might grant you other rituals as well!” Caroline explained. “Feel free to cry tears of joy, inmate.”

Honestly, she felt more unnerved by this than grateful, and that wasn’t just because of the Incubus.

Something about this didn’t sit right with her…

“Your heart steadily grows more rebellious… your rehabilitation is going well.” Igor told her.

Rebellion… Well, if going against Kamoshida was rebellion, then so be it!

“I have prepared a small gift for you in recognition of your efforts.” Igor said.

Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Igor did have a lot of faith in her, and that faith made her feel a deepened bond with him.

**HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

She suddenly found herself able to focus on her surroundings much more, as if she had a third eye.

“That is a thief’s skill, allowing one to use their sixth sense to see what lies hidden.” Igor explained. “Please continue to further devote yourself to your rehabilitation.”

She still wasn’t quite sure what he meant, although perhaps that was because the word rehabilitation was slowly losing all it’s meaning for her.

Having no further business in the Velvet Room, she exited, returning to find the others staring at her.

“Uhh… are you ok?” Skull wondered. “You were kinda just standing around there for a while.”

She paused, wondering how she could explain it without sounding like a lunatic.

“Well, I was… sorta of in my own mind.” she tried to explain. “And… by executing old Persona, I can gain stronger ones.”

Ren grinned. “That's great. It’ll make getting through here a lot easier.”

“I’m surprised you believed that so easily.” she commented.

Ren shrugged. “I doubt you’d lie about this. And, well…” he trailed off, glancing at the castle. “After seeing what was in there, what you said doesn't seem that crazy.”

“Point taken.” she nodded.

After double checking their provisions, they entered the castle.

* * *

“...And the Mandrake is weak to fire.” she noted.

“Are you memorizing the weaknesses of everything?” Skull asked.

She nodded. “It’ll allow us to defeat them more efficiently.”

“That's amazing how you can memorize all of that!” Mona praised.

She smiled at the praise, before glancing around the area.

“Joker… this is where we ended up when we first came here, correct?” she asked.

“I think you're right, Queen.” Joker confirmed.

Joker opened a nearby door, revealing a miniature library.

“Woah… what the hell’s in all these books? Skull wondered.

“It looks like they have names on them.” Mona observed.

She carefully scanned through the bookshelf.

“Wait…” she whispered to herself. “This book has my name on it…”

She opened the book, immediately regretting it when she saw what was inside.

The book was filled with pictures of her. There was one of her soaking wet in the rain, one of her stretching in her gym uniform, and one from just a few days ago, of her... bending over to grab a piece of paper Kamoshida had dropped.

And finally… a picture of the horrified look on her face when he had gripped her skirt.

Rage gripped at her with every picture, and her grip on the book grew tighter as well.

“Queen, what's wrong?” Joker asked.

“These… are a bunch of perverted pictures of all the girls!” she exclaimed.

“That sick son of a bitch!” Skull snapped.

“Maybe we should head somewhere else…” Joker suggested.

“Hold on…” she said.

She used her Third Eye, looking around the library until she spotted some books that stood out.

A book about a King, a Queen, and a Slave. They were about Kamoshida, Ann, and Ryuji respectively.

Seeing open spots in the bookshelves, she slotted the books in.

“Um, I know you like to be organized, but is now really the time?” Skull asked.

“It's not that.” Queen insisted. “I just thought that…”

As she placed the last book, they heard a rumbling sound, and they turned to see a bookshelf moving to the side.

“A secret passage!” Skull grinned. “This castle’s gotta be filled with these things!”

Figures.” Joker agreed. “Kamoshida probably has a lot of secrets he doesn’t want people to know.”

“It looks like a shrine…” she observed. “Oh God…”

The others looked inside of the shrine, all of them surprised at its contents.

“It’s… a bunch of pictures of Suzui…” Skull muttered.

“We’ll make him pay…” Joker promised.

“I know it’s hard… but if Kamoshida hid this room, there might be something important in it.” Mona reasoned.

She nodded, taking a moment to mentally prepare herself before looking through the room. Eventually, she stumbled upon a key and a map of the area.

“This should let us move onwards.” she mentioned.

She took another quick glance around the room before leaving, not wanting to stay any longer than she had to.

They continued their trek through the castle, eventually finding themselves in a cathedral-like room.

In the middle of said room stood an enormous statue of Kamoshida.

“Someone’s compensating.” Joker snarked.

“Well… he certainly thinks highly of himself.” Mona deadpanned.

“And it looks like he's not the only one.” Joker mentioned.

In front of the statue were the principal and the other teachers at Shujin.

“Hail King Kamoshida! Hail King Kamoshida!” They chanted repeatedly. “Praise be to King Kamoshida, who blesses Shujin with his presence.”

“Tch… so it's all about the good press he brings to the school.” Skull muttered. “They don't care about what he's done.”

“Remember, these are just cognitions.” Mona pointed out.

“Even so… some of them might not be far from the truth.” she muttered, remembering the principal’s words.

“Heads up, guys.” Joker called. “There are tons of guards coming!”

At least half a dozen guards charged into the cathedral. Knowing that taking them all on would drain all of their resources, she quickly looked for an escape route.

“Up there!” she shouted, pointing to a platform above.

They climbed up some boxes to the upper platform, running until they reached a strange looking door, leaves covering it like chains.

“Hold on.” Joker instructed, bringing out his dagger. “I’ll cut the-”

“YAH!”

She punched the door as hard as she could, sending it flying off its hinges.

“...Oooor that works to.” Joker said in disbelief.

They entered the room, ominous whispers unnerving them as they glanced at the lone object in the room: a skull.

“Ooooh!” Mona grinned. “This is a Will Seed!”

“A will seed?” she reaped.

“A mass of distorted desires taken form.” Mona explained.

“Umm… what?” Skull questioned.

“Should I use smaller words?” Mona sighed.

“Ugh, forget it!” Skull yelled. “So what do we do with this thing?!”

“We take it, of course, just like any other treasure here!” Mona grinned.

Joker shrugged, walking up to the skull and picking it up.

“Alas, poor Yorick!” Joker dramatically said. “I knew him well!”

She let out a small giggle, while Skull just looked at him in confusion.

“Who the hell is Yorrick?” Skull wondered. “Was he one of the students?”

“Uncultured numbskull!” Mona chided. “Don’t you know Shakespeare?”

“I don’t have a spear to shake!” Skull protested. “I only have this iron club!”

Before Mona could argue with Skull anymore, the room around them suddenly began to morph.

“W-What’s going on?!” she stammered. “Was that a trap?!”

“I don’t know!” Mona cried.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?!” Joker exclaimed. “You told us to take it!”

“Guys…” Skull gasped. “I don’t think we’re in the palace anymore.”

They looked over their surroundings, finding themselves in an audience of people. But for some reason, no one in the audience seemed to notice them.

“Where are we?” Queen wondered.

“It looks like some kind of TV studio.” Joker noted. “But why’s everything in black and white?”

“Hey guys, look over there!” Ryuji yelled. “It’s Kamoshida!”

On stage was Kamoshida, as well as two hosts.

“Welcome back, everyone!” the female host greeted. “Since this year’s World Championship will be held soon, we invited the leader of the men’s volleyball team! Everyone, please welcome Mr. Suguru Kamoshida!”

“H-Hello everyone, I’m Suguru Kamoshida.” he said, looking a tad nervous. “I’m happy to be here today.”

“Hang on…” Skull muttered. “Don’t he look a little younger here?”

“Now that you mention it…” she trailed off, seeing what he meant.

“Let’s see what happens!” Mona suggested.

“You’re quite popular, Mr. Kamoshida!” the male host noted. “And you have been ever since you began your career. It’s quite incredible.”

“Oh no, I’m just a regular guy.” Kamoshida modestly said.

“Really?” the male host questioned.

“There’s no need to be so modest!” the female host beamed. “You’ve starred in many commercials, and you’ve donated a large sum of money to the high school in your hometown!”

“Indeed, that’s not something regular people do!” the male host nodded. “But Mr. Kamoshida, I had a question I wanted to ask.”

“Oh, of course.” Kamoshida nodded.

“Do you remember what you felt during your last match the moment you won?” the male host asked.

“Well… I suppose I was very happy and excited at the time.” Kamoshida answered.

“Did you feel a lot of pressure to win the match?” the male host asked.

“Of course. A lot of pressure.” Kamoshida answered honestly. “Besides having to train constantly, I also had to take care of other members of the team.”

“How were you able to do it?” the female host wondered.

“I had to constantly be focusing, even to the point of exhaustion.” Kamoshida explained. “To be honest… I’m a little pressured now too. I’m not good with crowds.”

“Are you nervous? I didn’t even notice.” the male host commented.

“Well, that’s good!” Kamoshida grinned. “I was worried I looked like a nervous wreck!”

The three of them, and several members of the audience, shared a laugh.

Again, she wondered just what they were hearing right now.

“I can relate.” the female host admitted, giving a sympathetic smile. “TV hosting is highly regarded, but it can be tiring as well. I always need to act when the camera’s on. A shame we can’t be our true selves.”

Kamoshida’s eyes widened, and he found himself nodding.

“To be honest, I’ve been a big fan of yours for a while.” the female host confessed. “You looked so dashing when you were playing at the Olympics, and so happy when you brought home a gold medal! Would it be alright if I asked you more questions later?”

“U-Uh… umm…” Kamoshida stammered, his face flushed.

“Um… Mr. Kamoshida, did you hear her?” the male host asked. “We need an answer.”

“Ah, well, um…”

The female host gave a small giggle. “Mr. Kamoshida, are you a little shy?”

The conversation ended then, and the room began to morph back into where they were before.

“I don't know what that was… but I feel more refreshed.” she noticed.

“Yeah, me too.” Skull agreed. “Like I could fire off a couple more lightning bolts.”

“Must be because of the Will Seed.” Mona told them.

“About what we just saw…” Joker trailed off. “Do you guys think that could have been Kamoshida’s past?”

“He did look a little younger.” Skull agreed.

“I suppose it would make sense that we’d see his memories in his palace.” Mona said. “Let's keep on the lookout for more!”

* * *

It didn't take long for them to find another. On the roof of the castle, they climbed a tower until they found another room containing a Will Seed.

Once again, they took the skull from its pedestal, causing them to see into what looked like a hotel room.

Kamoshida was on his hands and knees, and in front of him stood the TV hostess from before.

“I can’t believe I admired you!” the woman shouted in disgust. “You’re just some worthless pervert!”

“Please, forgive me!” Kamoshida pleaded. “I didn’t mean… to touch you. It’s just… we were having a good time and… I was drunk, so I thought-”

“That's no excuse!” the woman shouted.

“Please…” Kamoshida repeated. “I can’t betray my team. My fans! My company! They need me to be a role model. An ideal athlete! If you take volleyball away from me, I’m nothing!”

A flash of light occurred, and when it faded, the woman was gone, and Kamoshida was on the hotel bed, speaking to someone on the phone.

“Kamoshida, what happened?!” the voice on the phone said.

“I made a mistake…” Kamoshida replied. “An unforgivable mistake! I… I’ll have to ask her for forgiveness.”

“What?!”

“I’m finished…” Kamoshida sighed.

“I see…” the man on the other line said.

“I’m going to call the police on myself.” Kamoshida said. “So I have to go-”

“Wait! Stop!” the other man desperately called. “Mr. Kamoshida, please do not act rashly. Just leave it to me and the rest of the company.”

The vision ended there, and they found themselves back in the Will Seed room.

“That looked like another part of Kamoshida’s past.” Joker noted.

“Yeah, he was with that same TV hostess from before.” Queen recalled.

“He must have done something to her too!” Skull muttered.

“I wonder what that company did about this incident?” she wondered.

“There should be at least one more.” Mona added. “Let’s keep a look out!”

* * *

“Dormina!” Ren shouted.

Arsène slowly lulled the enemy to sleep, Skull stepping in to give it a rude awakening.

Captain Kidd slammed into the shadow, waking it up and bringing it to its knees.

“It’s weak.” Mona pointed out. “You might be able to reason with it now.”

She nodded, narrowing her eyes. “Are you willing to talk now?”

The shadow scoffed. “Why do you not finish me?”

“I want your power.” she replied. “You can join us, or you can die here.”

“Hah!” the shadow laughed. “I see. You live for the thrill of battle as well! You remind me of myself. I… wait! I’m not a knight of this castle. I am Berith! I art thou, thou art I… I shall serve as your mask!”

She smiled as new power filled her body.

“That shadow was really strong!” Mona exclaimed. “Glad it's on our side now!”

“Hey Mona, how close are we to the treasure?” Skull asked.

“Very close.” Mona answered. “But if we have the resources, we should explore every nook and cranny.”

“I did see an elevator a few rooms back.” Joker said.

“Let's investigate then.” she suggested.

They backtracked until they found an elevator with statues in each corner.

“These are just statues of women's chests and hips…” she sighed.

“So… would you call it a bust?” Joker quipped.

“Not funny, Joker.”

They went downwards on the elevator, only to find another one nearby.

Finally, they reached a sewer-like area, with only one path to traverse.

“I can sense it! There's a Will Seed nearby!” Mona said excitedly.

“But it looks like there's an enemy guarding this one.” Queen noticed. “Everyone ready?”

“Let's go!” Skull yelled.

They ran up to the knight guarding the Will Seed, who gave a sinister chuckle when he saw them.

“Hehehe… so you're the intruders I heard about.” the knight said. “Why don't we play a game?”

“I don't have time for games!” Queen shouted. “Step aside!”

“W-What?!” the knight gasped. “Are you saying… I should play with myself?”

The knight grew enraged, and morphed into…

“O-Oh God…” Mona paled.

“D-Do we really gotta fight this thing?” Skull groaned.

A veiny green slime appeared, wriggling around as if to show off its girth.

Queen however, seemed unfazed. “It's coming!”

“...Please don't say it like that.” Joker muttered.

Queen cautiously glanced over the enemy, trying to gauge its fighting prowess.

“This is the monster guarding the last wish seed?” Queen questioned. “It's… smaller than I expected.”

Mona blanched, and Skull tried to suppress a laugh. Joker just shook his head.

“Told you he was compensating.” Joker quipped.

They each fired off magic at the shadow, but the shadow simply shrugged off all the attacks thrust at its body.

“Damn it's tough!” Skull grumbled.

“It’s getting pumped!” Queen shouted, seeing it prepare a counterattack.

The shadow stood fully erect before trying to pound Queen with its body.

She blocked at the last second, though she still took a considerable amount of damage.

“Are you all right, Queen?” Mona asked as he patched up her injuries.

“I’m fine… but that was quite the intense blow.” she winced. “We’ll need some protection!”

She quickly summoned Berith, using Rakukaja so that the shadow would struggle to penetrate her defenses.

“Let’s take it out from a distance!” she ordered, everyone pulling out their guns and letting loose.

The shadow tried to beat off their barrage of bullets, looking more and more flaccid as the attacks continued.

“I’ll finish you off!” Queen, beating the shadow with a barrage of punches and kicks until it dissolved into the ground.

“Hrmh… he wasn’t hard at all.” she stated.

“...If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were talking like this on purpose.” Joker sighed.

“Talking like what?”

“Never mind…”

She glanced around, seeing that all the boys seemed to have been wincing at the sight of her assault on that shadow.

She had beaten countless shadows with her fists already, so she wasn’t quite sure why they were reacting this way now.

They made their way into the Will Seed room, and she quickly took the skull, curious what it would show this time…

The room morphed into a dinner, and she saw Kamoshida and a man from a large company seated.

“I’m so sorry.” Kamoshida apologized. “I wasn’t thinking about the image of your company when I did what I did.”

“It’s perfectly fine.” the company man said. “I called in a few favors and we… talked to that woman. You won’t have to worry about her.”

“...What?” Kamoshida stated in disbelief.

“Now, you can continue to be the ‘ideal athlete.” the company man told him.

“A-Are you sure…?” Kamoshida stammered.

“Since you partnered with our company, we’ve gotten tons of good publicity.” the other man grinned. “So just continue to be a famous star in the sports community. I trust that’s not too much pressure?”

“N-No, of course not. I’ll do my best.” Kamoshida promised.

“If you ever feel those… desires again, you could make a request.” the other man offered. “We could bring you a woman or bring you to certain… establishments. And if something goes wrong there, contact us and we’ll… take care of it, just like we did now.”

“Take care of it?” Kamoshida repeated.

“Of course.” the other man nodded. “You work quite hard for us, after all, so it’s only reasonable that we pay you back.”

“Even so…” Kamoshida trailed off.

“This is what’s best for everyone.” the man insisted. “Now then, good day.”

The other man left, leaving Kamoshida with his thoughts.

“Best for everyone…” Kamoshida repeated. “So what I did… is forgiven?”

The vision ended, and once again, they were brought back to the Will Seed room.

“So… they took care of the TV host.” Joker muttered.

“Damn it!” Skull shouted. “That bastard’s been doing this shit for so long!”

“And he keeps getting away with it because people keep enabling and covering him.” she spat.

The principal’s words entered her thoughts once more, causing her to clench her fists.

“He thinks that as long as he brings good press to the school, he can do whatever the hell he wants.” Skull grumbled.

“It looks like we were shown the exact moment his desire began to distort.” Mona said. “How he became the man he is today…”

“Regardless of his reasons, what he did is unforgivable.” she said.

Seeing those memories only strengthened her resolve.

“Woah, check this out!” Skull called out, pointing to the Will Seeds.

They watched as the Will Seeds spun around before fusing together, forming a strange crystal.

“W-Woah, I never knew- err, I mean, of course! Just what I expected to happen!” Mona claimed.

“You had no idea, did you?” she accused.

“Maybe his amnesia is acting up.” Skull sarcastically said.

“Keep saying things like that and I may _forget_ how to heal you!” Mona snapped.

“All right, that's enough you two.” she scolded. “We have a treasure to steal!”

* * *

“And that’s Cait Sith obtained.” she smiled as she obtained another persona.

“That’s a pretty cool looking cat.” Joker said. “Probably the coolest cat I’ve ever seen.”

“What?!” Mona gasped. “But what about me?!”

Joker just smirked.

“O-Oh, I mean, um… y-yeah, Cait Sith is totally the coolest cat!” Mona said. “Not me, because I am definitely not a cat!”

She shook her head, leading the group past a bridge after they had stopped the spinning blades blocking the way.

She quickly noticed, however, that Joker was beginning to fall behind.

“Is everything ok, Joker?” she asked, concerned.

“Y-Yeah.” Joker stammered. “I’m fine.”

“You seemed to be slowing down.” she noted. “Maybe we should end the infiltration here?”

“No, really, it’s fine.” Joker insisted. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

He said that, but she wasn’t so sure.

She had to remember that he might not be as athletic as her or Ryuji, nor did he have the experience of Morgana.

“Mona, how far until the treasure?” she asked.

“Close… the throne room is right in front of us, and the treasure should be right past there.” Mona explained.

“Think Kamoshida’s hiding on his throne?” Skull asked.

“If he is, we shouldn't go in through the front door.” she reasoned. “Let’s look for another way.”

They snuck in using a passage overlooking the throne room, hearing Kamoshida berate his guards for failing to capture them as they entered a room behind him.

“Looks like a treasury.” Joker observed. “You see the treasure, Mona?”

“Right there!” Mona called.

“Huh? This weird fog thing?” Skull questioned. “I can’t even touch it.”

“First, we need to make the treasure materialize by making the real Kamoshida aware of his desires, and that we’re going to steal them!”

“How the hell do we do that? We can’t just walk up to and threaten him!” Skull pointed out.

“What if we did it anonymously?” Joker suggested. “Like… a calling card.”

“Exactly!” Mona grinned. “We’ll let him know that we’ll steal his desires and reveal his crimes to everyone!”

“That’s sweet!” Skull grinned. “Just like a real Phantom Thief!”

“So for now, we’ll make that calling card and ensure Kamoshida sees it, correct?” she asked.

Mona nodded. “Then we take his treasure.”

“Then let’s end the infiltration for now.” she suggested. “And come back after he sees the calling card.”

Their infiltration route secured, they left the castle for the day.

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 2

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 1

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone!


	9. The 1st Calling Card

“So, that was when you prepared the first calling card, correct?” Sae asked.

“Yes, it’s an integral part of stealing their treasure.” she told her. “We need to make the target aware that we’ll capture their treasure.”

“You didn’t waste any time in changing his heart.” Sae recalled. “Were you in some sort of rush?”

“...Kamoshida was onto us.” she explained. “And he…”

“What?” Sae asked.

“After school that day, he called me to his office and… locked the door.” she confessed.

“What?!” Sae exclaimed, her eyes widening. “M-Makoto, he didn’t… God, tell me he didn’t do anything to you!”

“...Why do you care?” she muttered.

“W-What are you talking about?!” Sae yelled. “Of course I care. I’m your…”

She trailed off, frowning as she remembered her previous words.

“Isn’t your _job_ more important, Niijima- _san_?” Makoto stressed. “So shouldn’t we focus on stealing Kamoshida’s heart?”

*SLAM*

“I’m the one who decides that, not you!” Sae snapped.

“... I’m fine.” she finally said. “We don’t have much time, right? I’ll continue from where I left off.”

Sae looked like she wanted to argue more, but just let out sigh.

“I suppose you're right…” Sae hesitantly admitted. “Let’s continue then.”

* * *

“Aren’t you tired?” Morgana asked. “You should go to bed.”

“As soon as I make sure we have enough supplies.” Makoto told him. “We need to be prepared for anything.”

“The models and medicine are pretty expensive.” the not-cat brought up.

“That’s why I was thinking of getting a part time job.” she told him.

“Hmm… maybe in the future, but right now, we’ve secured the infiltration route, so we shouldn’t need too much.” Morgana advised. “We should be fine.”

She nodded. “I’ll trust your word, then. Tomorrow we’ll meet on the roof and discuss the calling card.”

She pulled something out of her bag.

“What’s that?” Morgana wondered.

“It’s my Buchi diary.” she answered. “It’s been a rather hectic week, so I wanted to write things down.”

“Well, alright.” Morgana relented. “Just make sure you get some rest. We’ve got some big days coming up.”

She nodded, resting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes.

* * *

**4/19 Tuesday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 13**

Thankfully, Kamoshida didn’t bother her today. In fact, he seemed to be absent today.

...Possibly due to cat scratch related injuries.

Knowing that he wasn’t around put her a little at ease, but the upcoming infiltration still weighed on her mind.

So much so, that she didn’t even notice when she bumped into another student.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry!” the girl apologized. “I should have been paying more attention.”

“No, no… it’s my fault.” Makoto insisted. “I was the one who bumped into you, err…”

She didn’t recognize the student in front of her at all. It wasn’t even that she couldn’t recall her name, she didn’t remember seeing her at all. Which was weird because her bright red hair _really_ stood out!

“I’m afraid I don’t recognize you.” Makoto confessed. “Are you one of the first years?”

“O-Oh, I’m so sorry! I should have introduced myself!” the girl stammered. “I’m… Kasumi Yoshizawa. I just transferred here.”

“Oh, that would explain why I don’t recognize you.” she replied. “I’m Makoto Niijima, the student council president. If you have any questions, you can ask me, ok?”

“W-Wait, you’re the Student Council President?!” Kasumi exclaimed. “The principal told me about you. I-I’m so sorry, I haven’t treated you with proper respect, Senpai!”

“It's fine, really.” she told her. “There’s no way that you could have known. What were you doing anyway?”

“Oh, I was just trying to find my way to the library, Senpai.” Kasumi answered.

“Did you need any help getting there?” she asked.

“I’ll figure it out.” Kasumi told her. “I’m sure you have plenty of council duties. I wouldn’t want to take up your time.”

Kasumi started to walk away, towards the left.

“It’s… the other way.” she pointed out.

An embarrassed Kasumi quickly turned around, bowing her head.

“So sorry!” she whined. “I’m still not used to the school’s layout.”

“She… certainly apologies a lot, doesn’t she?” she mused. “I’ll have to be gentle with her.”

“It’s fine, I’ll show you the way.” she offered.

As Kasumi followed her down to the library, she considered striking a conversation with her.

“So Yoshizawa-san, you transferred here?” Makoto asked.

“Yes. I have a scholarship for my gymnastics.” Kasumi answered.

So, she was another honor student.

“That’s very impressive, Yoshizawa-san!” she praised.

“Thank you, Senpai.” Kasumi said, letting out a small smile. “Mr. Kamoshida was actually speaking about me about my gymnastics the other day.

She couldn’t help but let out a frown. “I see…”

“Senpai, is something wrong?”

She was new here, and likely unaware of everything that had happened. She might just end up confused if she tried to tell her about him.

“I was just thinking about his athletes…” she told Kasumi. “About how, last Friday…”

Kasumi’s eyes widened. “I-I heard people talk about how she was a member of the volleyball club!”

She nodded. “She was. Yoshizawa-san, since you’re new, I wanted to let you know that I’m always here in case you need anything.”

Kasumi smiled. “Thank you, Senpai. But I’m fine for now.”

“Well, let me know if anything changes, ok?” she said as they reached their destination.

“I will!” she happily chirped. “Thank you for your help, Senpai!”

She waved goodbye as Kasumi entered the library, and headed up towards the roof, Ren and Ryuji already waiting for her.

“Sorry I’m late. I was helping a student.” she excused.

“Another one of Kamoshida’s athletes?” Ryuji asked.

“No, it was another transfer student.” she told them. “She was a red haired first year. She said her name was Kasumi Yoshizawa.”

“Oh, I’ve talked to her a few times.” Ren smiled. “She’s really nice.”

“Focus, people!” Morgana scolded. “We have a calling card to send!”

“Why couldn’t we have just sent one at the beginnin’ of this?” Ryuji asked.

“The effect won’t last for long!” Morgana explained. “If we wait too long after we send it, Kamoshida will probably just think it’s a prank or something, and the treasure won’t be materialized anymore!”

“How much time do you think we have?” Ren asked.

“Probably a day, at most.” Morgana answered.

“What the hell?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “That’s not much time at all!”

“Then we’ll have to be quick.” Makoto said. “We’ll send the calling card tomorrow morning, and carry out the plan later that day.”

“Sounds good.” Morgana mentioned. “But just to confirm one more time… you all are aware of the risks, correct?”

“I’m worried that he might suffer a mental shutdown, but if we do nothing, more people who are actually _innocent_ will suffer because of him. Knowing this, I can’t stand by and do nothing.” she said with conviction. “But if the rest of you want to back out now, I wouldn’t blame you.”

“No effin’ way!” Ryuji yelled. “There’s no way I’m backin’ out now!”

“I told you, we’re friends.” Ren reminded her. “So I’ll support you all the way!”

“T-Thank you both.” she whispered, a big smile on her face.”

“Looks like it’s unanimous.” the not-cat noted. “Then let’s make that calling card!”

“Let’s use the student council room.” Makoto recommended. “I can lock the door so that we don’t get interrupted.”

The three of them went to the student council room, and set to work at making a design for the calling. After a bit of work, they settled on a design. The card was red and black, and had a bellowing black scarf in the middle, glowing red eyes peeking out from a gap in the scarf.

She wasn’t sure if the logo was really necessary, but it did look nice.

After finishing the calling cards, she headed home, glancing at some texts on the group chat.

Ryuji: Aw man, this is going to be awesome!

Ryuji: I can’t wait to see the look on that bastard's face!

Ren: Makoto, are you going to be putting up the calling card?

She quickly typed a response.

Makoto: Yes, I will. It won’t look suspicious if I come in a little early.

Ryuji: Make sure you put them somewhere that asshole can see it!

Makoto: I’ll hang it on a bulletin board in the hall. That’ll draw attention.

Makoto: Make sure you both get plenty of rest. We have a big day tomorrow.

Ren: You got it, Queen.

Ryuji: Oh man, I can’t wait!

She set her phone down, heading to bed.

Even though she had advised the others to rest, she found herself struggling to fall asleep herself.

She had already been plenty stressed before this whole mess had begun. But now she was involved with Morgana and Igor...

She glanced at Morgana, resting at her bedside, and wondered what his plans for her were…

She had no idea what the future held. She just had to keep going forward.

“Watch over me, father…” she mused as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

**4/20 - Wednesday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 12**

“What? A calling card?”

“Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong…?”

“Then are those rumors true?!”

“Did he do something to Suzui-san?”

Ren looked over their handiwork, pleased with the results.

All the students had been immediately drawn to their eye-catching calling card and logo.

He took a moment to read over the calling card itself.

Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the despotic criminal of lust. Because of your past achievements and fame, you see yourself as the untouchable king of Shujin, free to push your rage-fueled beatings and twisted, sexual desires onto innocent students. That is why today, to free those enslaved by your sadistic commands, we shall steal your distorted desires and bring you to justice. From, the Phantom Thieves of Heart.

He walked away from the crowd, finding Ryuji nearby.

“Heh, we did a pretty good job.” Ryuji grinned. “I can’t wait for Kamoshida to see.”

“Looks like we won’t have to wait long.” Ren mentioned.

“Who’s responsible for this?!” A loud voice boomed.

They turned to see Kamoshida angrily shouting accusations at people in the crowd.

The students quickly dispersed, an enraged Kamoshida marching towards them, sporting several small bandages on his face.

“...It was you two, wasn’t it?!” Kamoshida spat.

“What are you talkin’ about?” Ryuji grumbled. “We don’t know anything about this.”

“Tch… it doesn’t matter.” Kamoshida scoffed. “The two of you are going to be expelled soon anyway.”

“Nice bandages.” Ren quipped. “You get those during ‘practice’?”

Kamoshida glared, taking a threatening step towards Ren.

“Is there something wrong, Mr. Kamoshida?”

Makoto walked up to them, pretending she didn’t know what was going on.

“I heard a commotion. Is everything ok?” Makoto asked.

“Niijima…” Kamoshida muttered. “Nothing. Just dealing with some punks.”

As Kamoshida walked off, the four Persona users swore they saw his shadow appearing before them, daring them to steal his treasure if they could.

“Judging from his reaction, that definitely had an effect on his palace!” Morgana exclaimed.

“So, the treasure will appear now?” Ren asked.

“It has to be. But we only have a day to do this now.” Morgana reminded them.

“Then there’s no time to waste.” Makoto said. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

They returned to the palace after school, making their way through their infiltration route and back to the treasury, encountering surprisingly little resistance on the way.

“A giant crown.” Joker muttered. “I should have known.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Morgana cheered “The treasure has appeared!”

“Geez… it’s huge.” Ryuji gasped.

“T-Treasureeeeee…!” Mona said, as if he was in a trance.

“Mona, are you ok?” Queen asked, concerned.

“Meeeeeooooow!” Morgana purred, leaping onto the crown.

“You’d think he just found a lifetime supply of catnip with how he’s acting.” Ren chuckled.

Morgana ignored Ren’s joke, completely engrossed in the treasure.

“What a huge mass of human desires!” Morgana grinned. “Imagine the impact this will have!”

“All right, all right, that’s enough, cat!” Skull yelled.

Finally, Morgana seemed to come to his senses, dropping back down to the ground.

“I, uh… I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think that human desires would have such control over me.” Mona excused. “Oh! But doesn’t that prove I’m human?!”

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough, right?” Queen asked, helping the others carry the crown.

“Nyahaha… I guess you’re right!” Mona grinned. “I’m still amazed that I managed to come across three persona users! Teaming up with you was definitely the right choice!”

As Morgana expressed his strengthened faith in her, she felt their bond strengthening as well.

**MAGICIAN CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

They carefully moved the crown out of the treasury and into the throne room.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Ka-mo-shi-da!”

A volleyball slammed into the crown, knocking it to the ground.

“W-What the-” Skull gasped.

Kamoshida jumped over them and shrunk the crown down to normal size before picking it up, Ann and Shiho at his sides.

“Hand over the treasure!” Mona demanded.

“I’m not letting anyone take this from me!” Kamoshida scowled. “This is proof that I’m king of this castle!”

“You bastard…” Ryuji muttered. “You were just waitin’ to ambush us, weren't you?”

“I knew you brats would be here.” Kamoshida glowered. “That’s why I figured that now would be a great opportunity to get rid of you.”

“What a coincidence… we were thinking the same thing.” Ren said, narrowing his eyes.

“Tch… why are you blaming me for this?!” Kamoshida scoffed. “People around me kept this secret for years. The school and my sponsors, wanting to share in my fame, students who were driven… all of them profit from it. Don’t you understand! This is what’s best for everyone!”

“And what about Shiho?!” she argued. “What about the track team?! What about the students you’re trying to expel?!”

“How naïve.” Kamoshida chuckled. “I haven’t done anything wrong, and if you don’t understand that… THEN I’LL BEAT IT INTO YOUR THICK SKULLS!”

Red, demonic energy burst forth from Kamoshida as he grew taller and taller, taking a monstrous shape.

“W-What the hell?!” Ryuji yelled.

Before them was no longer a man, but an enormous multiple limped red demon. He held a riding crop, a knife, and a trophy filled with female students, including Ann and Shiho, which he eagerly licked up with his long, veiny tongue. Atop his head are large ram horns and the crown.

Finally, he rode atop a giant, black and red dragon.

“HAHAHAH!” Kamoshida crackled. “What’s a castle without a dragon?!”

“AN EFFIN’ DRAGON?!” Skull shouted. “What other shit is this asshole gonna pull?!”

“Look out!” she cried, seeing the dragon rearing back its head.

They all dived behind some nearby pillars, narrowly evading the dragon’s fire.

“It’ll be hard to get to him with him riding that overgrown lizard.” Joker muttered.

“I suppose it makes sense. Dragons were frequently guarding treasure in mythology…” she rambled.

“Did those myths happen to say anything about beating a dragon?” Joker asked.

“Well-”

“Hail King Kamoshida! Hail King Kamoshida!”

They looked above, seeing an entire crowd, including the Shujin staff, chanting from the second floor.

“Ah, my adoring fans!” Kamoshida grinned. “It’s good to be popular! It means there will always be people willing to defend and justify anything you do!”

“Defend this, douchebag!” Ryuji shouted, firing his shotgun.

The bullet hit Kamoshida’s chest, but did minimal damage.

“How dare you!” Kamoshida roared, slamming his riding crop. “Get them!”

Members of the volleyball team gathered around Kamoshida, firing volleyballs at Skull and Mona, who quickly took cover behind the pillar.

“You can't hide from me!” Kamoshida cried, slamming his knife against the pillar, and causing it to collapse.

Skull and Mona ran for cover, the dragon’s flames pushing them back.

“Damn it.” Ren cursed. “We’ll run out of cover at this rate.”

She tried to think of a strategy, but found it hard to concentrate with all the chanting in the background. She looked upwards at the chanters, her eyes widening when she spied a large chandelier.

“There!” she pointed. “Joker, shoot that! I’ll cover you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me!” she told him.

Ren nodded, sneaking off to get a good shot.

“Cait Sith! Sukukaja!” she called, feeling a boost to her agility.

She ran in front of the dragon, firing her gun at it.

The dragon shot multiple fireballs at her, which she did her best to avoid. Despite her heightened agility, however, a few stray embers managed to burn her.

“What are you waiting for!” Kamoshida snapped. “Burn her to ash!”

The dragon reared its head back to breathe more fire…

“Dream Needle!”

Kamoshida turned to see Joker, but it was too late. Joker unloaded his gun into the chandelier chain, shattering it and causing it to fall… right on top of the dragon’s head.

“Let’s go, Skull!” Makoto commanded.

Skull and her boosted each other with Tarukaja, preparing to continue their assault on the dragon.

“How dare you damage my castle!” Kamoshida exclaimed.

Kamoshida leered at her before trying to smack her with his tongue, only for Mona to fire his slingshot at it.

“GAHHHH!” Kamoshida wailed.

“What’s wrong, asshole?” Ren taunted. “Cat got your tongue?!”

Mona and Joker fired bullets and Eiha spells at Kamoshida, distracting him as Skull and her used their strongest physical attacks against the dragon, bringing it down for good.

“You shitty little brats!” Kamoshida cried out in rage. “You’ll pay for that!”

Kamoshida stuck a fork into his trophy, pulling out Ann and Shiho before putting them in his mouth.

“AHAHAHA!” the demon laughed. “Now that hits the spot!”

“What the hell?!” Skull exclaimed. “He’s eating them!”

“And it looks like it’s healing him too!” Mona pointed out.

Sure enough, any wounds he had suffered slowly disappeared, allowing him to face them at full strength.

“Aim for the trophy then!” she commanded. “This battle will go on forever if we don’t!”

“Got it!” Joker nodded, sending another Dream Needle at the trophy.

“I WON’T LET YOU!” Kamoshida yelled.

Seeing the volleyball team preparing another barrage of volleyballs, she quickly switched her Persona to Incubus.

“Tarunda!” she shouted, lowering the power of their opponents, allowing Skull to charge through.

“RAAAAGH!”

Skull let out a battle cry before slamming his weapon into the trophy as hard as he could, shattering it to pieces.

“Noooooo!” Kamoshida despaired. “That trophy was worth more than all of your pathetic lives!”

“The only pathetic one here is you!” Skull snapped. “Let’s get him!”

“Berith!” Makoto called. “Cleave!”

She struck a powerful blow against Kamoshida, the others barraging him with spells and gunshots.

“That’s it!” Kamoshida angrily said. “It’s time I went all out! Time for the killshot!”

Kamoshida slammed his riding crop on the ground.

“Hey! Where the hell is my ball?!” the demon called out.

A student rushed into the throne room, carrying a volleyball.

“Mishima?!” Ryuji gasped.

“It’s just another cognition!” Mona reminded him.

“He’s preparing for a big attack! Brace yourselves!” she warned.

They all put their guard up as Mishima passed the ball to Kamoshida, who spiked the ball right into them.

Despite them guarding, the force of blow was strong enough to knock her off of her feet, her injuries from before catching up with her.

“Queen!” Joker cried out in worry.

“I-I’m ok.” she insisted. “I can still fight.”

As Mona rushed to heal her, Joker and Skull tried to fend off Kamoshida, but she could tell that they were beginning to tire.

Joker narrowly dodged Kamoshida’s knife, only for him to smack Joker with the flat of it, causing him to crash into another pillar.

“Joker!” she screamed.

As soon as Mona finished healing her, she rushed towards Kamoshida, firing a Frei spell at him.

“GRRAGH! I can’t go all out when Mishima’s serving!”

“I-I’m sorry King Kamoshida!” Mishima stammered, running away as fast as he could.

“Where’s my next slave?! Get over here and serve me my ball!”

Another cognition, this one a girl, ran up to Kamoshida with a ball in her hand.

“I have it right here, King Kamoshida!” the girl happily chirped.

“Gooood.” Kamoshida creepily grinned. “If only all girls were as obedient as you are.”

“That girl… no way!” Mona gasped.

She heard Ryuji curse under his breath, and saw Ren clenching his fists in anger.

But she was sure that none of them were as anger as her, as the girl in front of them, from her short brown hair to her bright red eyes, was undoubtably a cognitive version of herself.

“This is how you think of me?!” she exclaimed, glaring at the shadow in front of her.

Her cognitive self wore nothing but a brown fur bikini, fake dog ears, nose, and tail, and a spiked leash around her neck.

“Get it? It's cause you're my BITCH!” Kamoshida grinned, yanking the leash.

“Oooooh, King Kamoshida.” the cognitive Makoto cooed. “I’ll do anything you ask to get into your good graces, and I mean _anything._ ”

“Hahahahaha!” Kamoshida laughed. “That's right! You're nothing but my lapdog, you teacher's pet!”

“Not anymore!” she declared. “The old me is dead, Makoto the sycophant is gone!”

She rushed as fast as she could, punching her cognitive self in the face before it could pass the ball to Kamoshida. Her cognitive double tried to fend her off as she continued her assault, but unlike her, it was very weak, not even attempting aikido to defend herself.

She considered that this was likely because Kamoshida thought that all students were powerless against him, which only served to make her angrier.

Said anger and disgust fueled her blows as she punched her cognition over and over again until it was nothing more than a stain on the floor after dissolving.

“So… Makoto was useless as well…” Kamoshida muttered. “Fine! Then I’ll take you all on myself.”

Kamoshida slashed and stabbed at them with his knife and fork, giving them little room to rest.

“When it comes to endurance, he’ll outlast us.” Morgana grimaced. “We need a plan, Queen!”

She glanced around, trying to think of something, before her eyes landed on Kamoshida’s crown.

“Mona, think you could sneak up there and nap the crown?” she whispered. “We’ll distract him.”

“Heh, you got it!” Mona grinned, scurrying away.

“Looks like he’s out of reinforcements!” she called to the others. “Now let’s strike!”

She quickly joined the fray, unloading the rest of her ammo before letting loose another Frei spell.

Kamoshida tried to counter, slashing with his knife. They couldn’t let up their assault however, or he would suspect something.

“Keep attacking!” she ordered.

With a mighty roar, Kamoshida slammed the flat of his blade against Joker once again, who was too tired to dodge.

“Looks like you die first!” Kamoshida shouted, preparing to stab his knife into Ren.

“NO!” she cried, running as fast as she could to protect him.

Just before he stabbed down, however, Mona crashed into the crown, knocking it to the ground and out of Kamoshida’s reach.

“My crown! My precious crown!” Kamoshida despaired.

The four thieves got into position, ready to finish Kamoshida off with an all-out attack.

“Y-You can’t do this t-to me…” Kamoshida feebly whimpered. “W-Without that crown, I can’t be king…”

“Well I’m still the Queen.” Makoto declared. “Now bow.”

All four thieves struck him over and over, coming from various angles, culminating in her leaping into the air.

“FIST OF JUSTICE!” she cried, slamming her fist into Kamoshida’s face.

Kamoshida fell onto his back groaning in pain, his strength depleted.

His demonic form faded, returning both him and the crown to normal.

Before they could grab the crown, however, Kamoshida scooped it up and ran from them.

“Get back here!” Ryuji yelled.

They managed to corner him, watching as he looked up to the people cheering for him.

“Wouldn’t want to run out on your fans, would you?” Joker mocked.

“It… it’s all their fault!” Kamoshida yelled. “They’re a bunch of damn hyenas! Putting more pressure on me! More and more and more and more!”

“Your just makin’ excuses.” Ryuji muttered.

“Just because you felt pressured doesn’t mean you get to take it out on innocent people.” Ren pointed out.

“And I’m sure that Suzui-san felt pressured as well.” she glared. “After what you’ve done, don’t expect any sympathy from us!”

“...So, what will you do?” Mona asked. “If you take the treasure and leave, you’ll change his heart… but you could finish off his shadow right now and kill him in the real world. Your call.”

“N-No, please. S-Stop!” Kamoshida pleaded.

“How many times have your victims said the same thing to you?!” Ryuji shouted.

“P-Please forgive me…” Kamoshida begged, his body shaking.

“Never…”

Ryuji walked towards Kamoshida.

“Skull… don’t.” she whispered.

“If you kill me, you’ll kill my real self as well.” the shadow muttered. “P-Please…”

An enraged Ryuji raised his club…

“Ryuji, don’t!” Ren shouted, too shocked to use codenames.

...Ryuji slammed the club into the wall next to Kamoshida.

“The crown. NOW!” he shouted.

Kamoshida quickly handed him the crown.

“...This ain’t just about me.” Skull mentioned. “Ann, Shiho, and everyone else… you’re going to admit what you did to them!”

“Skull…” Mona trailed off.

“But… what do I do after?” Kamoshida asked.

“Atone for your sins.” she answered. “For the sake of everyone you’ve harmed, submit yourself to justice.”

“All right…” Kamoshida responded. “I’ll be certain to…”

With those final words, a white light covered his body, and he vanished.

Without its master, the castle began to shake.

“What’s happening?!” she said frantically.

“With the treasure stolen, the palace is collapsing!” Mona explained. “We need to run!”

They wasted no time running out of the throne room, watching as the palace fell around them.

“Faster, you two!” Mona yelled.

“I’m running as fast as I can!” Ryuji yelled swiftly.

Ryuji picked up the pace, but Ren began to fall behind.

As the ceiling began to cave in, a piece of debris fell on Ren’s head, knocking him to the ground.

“Joker, you ok?!” Ryuji cried.

“Keep going!” he yelled. “I’ll catch up.”

There was no way she was leaving him behind. She ran towards him, helped him up, and summoned Johanna.

“Everyone get on!”

She drove as fast as she could, dodging the fallen debris.

“Nyaaaaaahhh! We’re all gonna die!” Mona screamed.

“Stop diggin’ your claws into my back!” Ryuji yelled.

“Quit screaming in my ears!” she shouted back at them.

Running on pure adrenaline, she drove as fast as she could, determined to get the others to safety.

* * *

They found themselves back in the real world, in an alley near Shujin.

“...Is… everyone… ok?” she asked, short of breath.

“I’m fine, but what about the treasure?!” Morgana panicked.

“I got it right… wait, what the hell?” Ryuji questioned, pulling out a gold medal.

“A medal? What happened to the crown?” she wondered.

“That medal is the true source of Kamoshida’s desires.” Morgana told them. “He simply saw it as a crown.”

“Guess none of this would’ve happened if he didn’t win that, huh?” Ryuji mentioned.

“Well... guess it was his crowning achievement.” Ren joked.

She couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

“Looks like we can’t go back there.” Ryuji said, glancing at the Metaverse app. “So, is his heart really gonna change?”

“His shadow certainly sounded regretful at least.” Morgana said. “It might take a bit, but his heart will definitely change. I’m sure of it.”

Ryuji sighed. “I don’t like just sittin’ around and waiting, but I guess that’s all we can do.”

“Let’s keep each other posted if we learn anything.” Ren suggested.

The others nodded.

“Will you two make it home ok?” she asked. “I’m really exhausted myself.”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Ryuji nodded. “What about you, Renren? You took a couple nasty blows.”

“I’m fine. Sorry to hold you guys back.” Ren frowned. “Because of me, we almost didn’t make it out of there.”

Makoto shook her head. “Don’t apologize. We’re a team, so we help each other.”

Ren nodded, but for some reason, he didn’t seem that convinced. Maybe she would talk to him later.

“You were great, team!” Morgana cheered, happy for the mission’s success.

They exchanged goodbyes before heading home, their job finished.

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 1

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 2

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the battle with Kamoshdia? I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!


	10. Queen's Birthday

**4/21 Thursday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 11**

Even though they had changed his heart yesterday, she was admittedly still concerned when she walked into school, wondering if Kamoshida would be there waiting for her.

Her fears turned out to be unfounded, however, as soon as she entered.

“Ah, Niijima-san!” a teacher greeted, walking over to her. “Have you heard about Kamoshida?”

“Heard what?”

“Kamoshida has taken a number of days off. Said he wasn’t feeling well.” the teacher explained. “Must have something to do with that awful prank some students pulled on him.”

“O-Oh, yes, that might be it.” she nodded.

As the teacher walked away, she pulled out her phone to text the others.

Makoto: I have information about Kamoshida.

Ryuji: For real?!

Makoto: Yes. Kamoshida took several days off.

Ren: It must be because of the change of heart.

Ryuji: But ain’t he supposed to be admitting to his crimes?

Makoto: Morgana mentioned that it might take a while for it to take effect.

Ren: At least he won’t be able to hurt anyone else.

Makoto: That’s true. I suppose that all we can do for now is wait.

She put her phone away, heading to class.

* * *

“Yo, Miss Prez!”

After classes had ended for the day, she ran into Ryuji in the hallway.

“Ryuji, hello.” she greeted.

“I have to ask you somethin’.” Ryuji said. “We did a pretty awesome job back there, huh?”

She smiled. “Yes, I suppose we did.”

“What is it that you yelled back there? Fist of Justice?” Ryuji laughed.

“I-It was in the heat of the moment!” she stammered. “P-Please don’t bring that up!”

“Well, I thought it was pretty cool.” Ryuji grinned. “I think we should have a celebration, yeah?”

“That does sound nice.” she admitted. “But I don’t want to celebrate prematurely.”

“Well, it might be good to get our minds off of everything.” Morgana brought up. “Not like we can do anything but wait.”

“Have you seen Ren?” she wondered.

“I saw him hanging out with some red-haired girl. Ryuji recalled. “I’ll ask him about it later.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised. “Well, I’m glad that not everyone’s avoiding him.”

Before Ryuji could respond, however.

“What’s all this about ‘doing a good job yesterday’?”

They both turned to see Ann glancing suspiciously at them.

“What exactly are you up too?” Ann asked. “I told you I didn’t want you getting into trouble.”

“We aren’t doing anything suspicious!” Ryuji quickly denied. “What about you? What are you doing?”

“... I was going to visit Shiho in the hospital.” Ann muttered.

“...Oh.” Ryuji muttered.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to Shiho.” Makoto sympathized. “If you ever need to talk-”

“I don’t want to hear that from you!” Ann shouted, cutting her off.

Ann run off, leaving the two of them alone.

“I guess it’ll still be a while before the student body trusts me…” she lamented.

“Hey, don’t take it personally.” Ryuji encouraged. “She’s totally stressed out, you know?”

“Still…”

“Hey, come one, you got me to trust you, right?”

“I suppose you’re right.” she smiled. “So, are you and Ann friends?”

Ryuji shrugged. “We just went to the same middle school, is all.”

“I just hope that Kamoshida’s victims will recover…” she trailed off.

Maybe she should visit one day...

“Urrgh… I just can’t take my mind off of this.” Ryuji grumbled. “Maybe I’ll go for a workout or something.”

“Maybe… I could join you?” she asked. “Would that be ok?”

“Yeah, sure!” Ryuji grinned. “We should go for a jog one of these days too!”

She grinned. “I’d like that.”

They spoke for a bit more before exchanging goodbyes. As soon as they did, Morgana poked his head out of her bag.

“You know, taking your mind off of everything might not be such a bad idea.” the not-cat advised. “You seem kinda stressed.”

“There’s just a lot on my plate at the moment.” she mentioned. “There’s a council meeting next week, and there are midterms, and entrance exams, and now this…”

“Well, don’t overwork yourself, ok?” Morgana told her. “Make sure you get plenty of rest.”

She nodded, making her way home.

* * *

**4/22 Friday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 10**

Considering that it was Friday, she quickly made her way to the school store, hoping that she’d be able to grab some yakisoba pan there.

“Oh, Niijima-san!” the vendor smiled. “It’s your lucky day! You got the last yakisoba pan!”

She grinned, paying for the bread before heading to the cafeteria.

Right before she took a bite of it, however, she saw Ren walk into the cafeteria, a dejected look on his face as he sat down next to her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s awful…” Ren muttered. “It’s so awful.”

“W-What happened?!” she exclaimed, growing concerned.

“My yakisoba pan…” Ren muttered in despair. “My yakisoba pan…”

Oh… so that was what this was about.

“Were you... hoping to have one, Ren?”

He turned around, gasping as he saw Makoto with the coveted bread in her hand.

“I got the last one.” Makoto told him. “Would you like to share?”

His eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had just offered him her most prized possession. “R-Really?” he stammered.

“Sure.” she nodded, handing him half.

She couldn’t help but smile when she saw the joyful expression on his face when he took a bite.

She hoped her small acts of kindness would cheer him up, even though other students avoided him.

“Now that everything’s taken care of, we can start studying together again.” she brought up.

“The exams start… on the 11th of May, right?” Ren asked.

“That’s right.” she nodded. “Although, I have a council meeting next week Monday, so I won’t be able to study with you then.”

“Sounds like you’re pretty busy.” Ren commented. “We could take a break from the tutoring if you’d like.”

“No, it’s fine.” she said, shaking her head. “Although… Ryuji did mention us having a celebration later.”

“Sounds fun.” Ren grinned. “Maybe… we could sell some of the treasures we found and go somewhere nice.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that!” Makoto said excitedly. “Although…”

“Although what?”

“Lately, I’ve been thinking of expanding my horizons.” she explained. “Understanding what other fun activities students do in their spare time.”

“Is it hard for you to understand humans, Ms. Beep Boop?” Ren smirked.

“B-Be quiet!” she hissed. “I just… most of the time, I study, so…”

“Well how about we go somewhere together one of these days.” Ren offered. “Somewhere lots of students gather.”

“That sounds wonderful!” she smiled.

“Great! I’ll let you know when I think of something, ok?” he asked.

She nodded her head, happy for his assistance.

They spoke for a while longer before she had to head back to class.

* * *

After classes and tutoring ended, he walked through the halls, wondering where he would take Makoto.

“Karaoke… no, she might not be comfortable singing.” he thought. “Then… oh, the arcade! That works.”

As he was making his way out of school, he noticed a panda patterned diary on the floor.

He picked it up and flipped through it, trying to find who it belonged to.

He read the latest entry in the diary.

_April 22nd_

_Today I managed to grab the last Yakisoba Pan. It seems that Ren really likes them too, as he was rather disappointed he didn’t get one. I gave him half of mine, and brought up the celebration Ryuji suggested. He seemed to be all for it, although I’d rather wait a bit until we can confirm the change of heart. Then again, my birthday is tomorrow. I hope that my sister won’t be too busy this year._

“Wait a minute.” Ren thought to himself. “This is Makoto’s diary… and her birthday’s tomorrow?!”

He pulled out his phone, texting Ryuji.

Ren: Hey, Ryuji.

Ryuji: Yo, Renren. What’s up?

Ren: This is a little sudden, but I found out that tomorrow’s Makoto’s birthday.

Ryuji: For real?!

Ren: Yeah. I was thinking maybe we could throw her a little party.

Ryuji: Oh yeah, that’s a good idea! But do you have any idea what she likes.

Ren: Well, I was thinking that we could bring her to the cafe I stay at for dinner and desert.

Ryuji: Oh, hell yeah! And now that I think about it, she mentioned that she liked Yakuza movies.

Ryuji: Guess I could get her one for her birthday.

Ren: I’ll have to think of a gift too.

Ren: She did mention that she wanted to learn more about stuff other students do.

Ren: So maybe we could bring her to the arcade.

Ryuji: Sounds good! So we’ll meet up after school tomorrow.

Ren: Don’t tell her, though! I want to make it a surprise.

Ryuji: Ok, got it!

He put his phone away, heading back to Leblanc by train, trying to think of a gift idea on the way.

“Hey, Boss.” he called, walking into the cafe. “Can you do me a small favor…?”

* * *

**4/23 Saturday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 9**

“Ok, we’re finished!” Makoto smiled. “You did very well. I’m sure you’ll do great on exams!”

“Thanks.” Ren smiled. “I’m glad that I was able to catch up to everyone else in the class after transferring.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” she said.

“Hold on!” Ren quickly called. “Remember what we talked about yesterday? About expanding your horizons?”

“What about it?”

“Ryuji and I are heading to the arcade.” he explained. “Would you like to come?”

“Oh, the arcade!” she nodded. “I wouldn't have thought of that. I’m glad that the two of you are helping me. I’d be completely lost otherwise.”

“To be honest, I haven't been to arcades a lot myself.” Ren confessed. “We didn't have any in my hometown.”

“Really?” she wondered. “Then I guess we’ll experience it together.”

“Oh, before that, though… here.”

He handed her the diary.

“I found this in the hallway. This is yours, right?” he asked.

“There it is!” she gasped. “I’ve been looking for it everywhere!”

She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much! You… didn’t look at it, did you?”

“Sorry… I was looking for who it belonged to, so I looked at a page…” he admitted.

“I suppose I can’t blame you for that.” she said. “Thanks again for finding it. Now let’s get going.”

The two of them walked to the arcade together, meeting Ryuji outside.

“Hey you two.” Ryuji greeted. “Are you ready for some fun?”

There were a lot more students than she was expecting. There were quite a few female students, even!

“This is a little overwhelming.” she admitted. “There are so many games, but I’m not sure which I should do first.”

“Same for me…” Ren agreed.

“Just relax!” Ryuji grinned. “I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll like.”

She walked around, wondering what she should play. She saw Ren enjoying a retro arcade game, so she decided to join him. She spied a game called Punch Ouch, the boxing game immediately interesting her. While it started out easy, she quickly learned that she would need to be strategic in order to take down the opposing boxers. As the game went on, she began to unconsciously bob and weave along with her character, letting out a sigh when she was finally K.O.’d.

“Having fun?” Ren asked, finished with his own game.

She nodded. “I really enjoyed that game, although maybe I’ll look for something else.”

She glanced around, nearly letting out a gasp when she saw the claw machine.

Inside the claw machine was an adorable Buchi plushie. She wanted to grab it right now, but…

What would Ren and Ryuji think? Her sister had told her before that she was too old for plushies. It would be way too embarrassing.

She quickly looked away, only to see Ren giving her a questioning look, having followed her gaze.

“Hey, you two, check this out!”

The two turned to Ryuji grinning at them, holding out two plastic guns attached to one of the machines.

“I found a co-op game.” Ryuji grinned. “You two want to play?”

“Sounds like fun.” Ren nodded. “What about you, Makoto?”

“Well, alright.” she agreed. “Let’s see how well we work together.”

They worked together, shooting down any enemy that got into their path. While the first level had gone smoothly, the difficulty quickly picked up.

As she played through the game, she couldn’t help but gasp or squeak whenever enemies popped up and shot at her. She found herself trying to dodge in real life, only to gasp when the enemy hit her in the game.

When the game finally ended, she turned to see that they had amassed quite the crowd, and that Ryuji was trying his hardest to suppress a laugh.

“U-Um… how did I do?” she stammered.

“You, uh… you were really getting into it.” Ren told her, before letting out a chuckle. “Guess you’re a real gamer.”

“Urrgh… I looked completely ridiculous, didn’t I?” she muttered.

“H-Hey, come on, it’s fine.” Ren comforted. “You had fun, right?”

“...I suppose I did.” she admitted, a small smile creeping onto her face.

They continued to play several move games for a while, and she found herself glancing at the Buchi plushie inside the claw machine again and again.

Ren definitely saw her looking at it that time…

“Man, I’m gettin’ hungry.” Ryuji commented. “Why don’t we head to that one cafe Ren lives at?”

Normally she would be home by now, but… she found herself having so much fun, that she didn’t want it to end so soon.

“Sure, I’ll come. I really enjoyed the curry the last time I was there.” she agreed.

“You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” Ren told them.

“Huh… was there another game you wanted to play?” Ryuji asked.

“Yeah… don’t worry though, I’ll meet you guys at the train stop.” Ren responded.

Ryuji and her went to the train stop, waiting for Ren. Just as the train was pulling in, they saw Ren sprinting towards them.

“Phew… made it just in time.” Ren grinned.

“What could he have been doing…?” she thought to herself.

* * *

The three of them made their way to Leblanc, seeing Sojiro behind the counter, the cafe empty aside from an old couple sitting at a table.

“Everything ready boss?” Ren asked.

“Yeah, upstairs.” Sojiro grunted.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I asked Sojiro to make some food for us upstairs.” Ren told her. “The coffee and curry’s already there.”

She happily climbed up the stairs, eager to try Sojiro’s curry again.

When she arrived in the attic, however, she was completely shocked. Aside from coffee and curry, there were also several tantalizing pastries on the table, and balloons hanging around.

“What is this?” she wondered.

“Well… when I went through your diary, I _might_ have figured out what today is, sooo…”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Ryuji shouted.

“You’ve done a lot for us, so we wanted to throw you a surprise party.” Ren explained.

Morgana hopped out of her bag, glancing around.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you.” Ren smiled, putting down a bowl of milk for Morgana, who happily slurped it up.

“So, what do you think?” Ryuji grinned.

They had gone through all this trouble for her…

She couldn't help but shed a few tears as she looked at everything they had done for her.

“H-Hey, what's wrong?” Ryuji asked, clearly not expecting her reaction.

“I’m really sorry about reading your diary!” Ren quickly apologized. “I just-”

“N-No.” she cut him off. “It's just… no one’s ever… you two are so kind.”

She managed a small smile despite her tears, but they still looked concerned.

“Are you sure you're ok?” Ren asked, leading her to the couch.

“I… haven't celebrated my birthday in several years.” she admitted.

“Why not?” Ryuji wondered.

“It's just me and my sister.” she told them. “And she's often so busy working that we don't have time to celebrate.”

“What about your parents?” Ren asked.

“My mother died when I was very young.” she told them. “And my father… he was a police officer. He was investigating gangs in Shibuya… when he was killed by an errant truck.”

“Shit… I didn’t know you had it so bad.” Ryuji muttered. “I never thought that you’d gone through stuff like that.”

“It’s ok… there’s no way you could have known.” Makoto assured him.

“What happened to the man who ran into him?” Morgana asked.

“He died on impact.” Makoto explained. “I remember it being very strange… I remember an investigator talking to my sister at the funeral saw that the driver was driving completely normally until he suddenly swerved around and hit my father as fast as he could.”

“The hell?” Ryuji gasped. “Were they on effin’ drugs or something?!”

“They didn’t find any in his system.” she told them. “But there were suspicions that he was tied to a gang.”

“Hmm… that is strange.” Morgana muttered.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. You all worked so hard for this. We shouldn’t be focusing on this heavy stuff. Let’s celebrate.”

They happily dug into their curry and pastries, enjoying every bite of it. She sipped at her coffee, enjoying it even more than last time. She could certainly understand why her sister loved it so much!

After they finished their meal, Ryuji grabbed a small bag from the corner of the room.

“I got you a present.” Ryuji grinned, handing it to her.

She carefully pulled out her gift, smiling as she saw what was inside.

“A Yakuza movie!” she beamed. “Thank you so much!”

“I, uh… got you something too.” Ren told her.

He reached into his backpack… pulling out a big Buchi plush from it.

“I saw you looking at this back at the arcade.” Ren told her. “I thought that… maybe you’d like this?”

She gently took the plushie from his hands, giving him a warm smile as she held it close to her chest.

“Thank you so much, Ren.” she beamed.

“Ah… n-no problem.” Ren stammered, scratching the back of his head.

“Heh… looking a little red there, Renren?” Ryuji smirked.

“I-It’s just the heat of the coffee!” Ren quickly defended.

She let out a giggle at the two boy’s antics before grabbing her Yakuza movie.

“You two don’t mind if we watch this, do we?” she asked.

“Sure thing.” Ren nodded. “I just got a TV for my room.”

They set the movie to play, all of them noticing how excited Makoto was as the movie went on. She was at the edge of her seat the entire time, her fists clenched and a serious expression on her face.

“Jeez… I knew she liked them, but…” Ryuji trailed off.

“Yeah, she is _way_ too into these movies. Don’t you think so too, Ren?” Morgana asked. “...Ren?”

When the not-cat glanced over, however, he saw that Ren was just as engrossed in the movie as Makoto was.

“Seriously?! Not you too!” Morgana groaned.

The movie continued for a while before, Makoto giving a loud cheer at the ending.

“That was amazing!” she cheered. “Don’t you two think so?!”

“The action scenes were pretty badass.” Ryuji agreed. “I gotta get going now. My mom’s gonna be wondering where I am soon.”

“Thank you both so much for all of this.” she beamed. “I loved this.”

“Hey, it’s no problem.” Ryuji grinned. “The three of us are all friends, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. That’s right.”

After they said their goodbyes to Ryuji, and began packing up her stuff.

“Did you like the movie, Ren?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was pretty entertaining.” Ren smiled. “But it looked like you enjoyed it even more than I did.”

“Is that… ok?” she bashfully asked. “Is it ok for me to like things like this?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, confused. “Ryuji and I liked it.”

“That’s different.” she argued. “My si-err, someone I know told me that I’d be made fun of if I told people I liked things like this.”

“Why would people make fun of you?” Ren wondered.

“Getting excited for things like Yakuza movies… it’s not very ladylike, is it...” she whispered. “And I was staring at the Buchi plush before… but I thought that it was childish to still like those things.”

“Makoto… I don’t care about that stuff.” he told her. “And… I think that people who do judge you for stuff like that aren’t worth your time.”

“R-Really?” she stammered.

“I actually think it’s kinda cool how we have something in common.” he told her. “I think you should like what you like, not what other people want you to like.”

She thought over his words. In a way, it was a little like the Kamoshida situation. While the staff likely didn’t want her getting involved, she still felt like it was the right thing to do. In the end, the lesson was the same.

“You’re right, Ren.” she agreed. “I think it’s like when I resolved myself to stop Kamoshida, even though that wasn’t what the staff wanted me to do. I… don’t want others to dictate my life.”

“Yeah, it’s like that.” he nodded. “And also… my incident back in my hometown. Even if people believed me, they told me that I shouldn’t have gotten involved. But I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing.”

“Because you have a strong sense of justice.” she told him. “I suppose that’s another thing we have in common.”

She finished packing up all of her things, Morgana hopping into her bag.

“I have to go now. I had a lot of fun at the arcade.” she smiled.

“I’m glad. Maybe we could wander around the city sometime.” he offered. “I still don’t know this place very well, myself, but there has to be tons of cool spots in the big city.”

“I’d like that.” she beamed.

Helping her with Kamoshida, and throwing a party for her, and encouraging her to be herself. Ren had done so much for her, his kindness touching her heart.

**FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

They exchanged goodbyes, and she headed home.

* * *

A bright smile on her face, she entered the door to her appointment, only to find her sister siting at the dinner table.

“Hey, sis!” she happily greeted.

“We need to talk.”

Her expression fell when she heard those words, and saw the serious expression on her sister’s face.

“Everything ok, sis?” she wondered.

“Sit.”

Not wanting to try her sister’s patience, she quickly did as she was told.

“Is something wrong?” she wondered.

“Where were you?” Sae asked, narrowing her eyes.

“The principal is having me tutor a student.” she explained. “So I’ve been staying after school to do that.”

“That wouldn’t take so long.” Sae argued. “Where else were you?”

“I was spending time with my friends.” she told her. “We went to the arcade and watched a movie.”

“And why were you doing that?” Sae muttered. “Why weren't you studying instead?”

“I’ve already done plenty of studying these past few days.” she told her, lowering her head.

“But you’ve been coming home late often as of late.” Sae pointed out. “Especially today. You’ve been gone the entire day.”

That was true. Normally her sister would get home much later than her.

“Why were you goofing off in an arcade?!” Sae snapped. “Don’t you realize that your exams are coming up?!”

Day in and day out. Study for this, study for that.

Dealing with exams, dealing with Kamoshida…

More and more being piled onto her plate.

She just wanted a break…

Was that too much to ask?

“Sis, I know that but-”

“It’s your last year of high school, Makoto!” Sae reminded her. “Not only do you have to worry about your midterms, but also your entrance exams!”

“I-I-”

Why couldn’t she just relax? Just once? Just for a special day like today?

“You can’t afford to slack off at a time like this!” Sae yelled. “Why were you even-”

“Because it’s my birthday!” she screamed, cutting her off.

She felt something in her snap.

She would normally never yell at her sister, but all this stress must have been getting to her…

She could see her sister’s eyes widen, quickly glancing over at the calendar, as if she didn’t want to be seen.

But she did see her.

She saw her sister’s eyes glance at the calendar to confirm the date.

“Sis… you forgot.” she whispered. “You forgot my birthday…”

“...I need to get some work done.” Sae muttered. “My latest case is really taken a lot out of me…”

“She must be very stressed too…” she thought to herself. “I shouldn’t have yelled… it’s all my fault.”

She watched her sister bring out her laptop, typing away at it.

She went to her room, clutching her new Buchi plush close to her in her bed.

Ever since her father died, it felt like her relationship with her sister had fractured more and more.

They both were so stressed these days.

As if sensing her stress, Morgana curled up next to her, a concerned look on his face.

“I’m sorry about that.” Morgana sympathized. “That sounded like a rough fight you two had.”

“Sis is just really stressed, that’s all.” she defended. “She needs to take care of both of us.”

“Even so, wasn’t she a little harsh?” Morgana questioned.

“I’m the one at fault.” she told Morgana. “I shouldn’t have yelled. I… don’t want to make things more stressful for sis.”

“What about your stress?” Morgana asked. “Surely you can take a break once in a while?”

“Sis just wants the best for me.” she whispered. “I know she can be strict, but it’s because she loves me.”

Morgana didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press the issue.

And as she rested her head on the pillow, and drifted to sleep…

She realized she wasn’t convinced either.

* * *

Makoto Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 2

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed!


	11. Change of Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as we finally bring the Kamoshida Arc to a close, and start a brand new confidant as well!

**4/24 Sunday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 8**

She woke up to find that her sister had already gone to work early.

After preparing breakfast for herself and Morgana, she noticed a hastily written note and some crumbled up bills on the table.

Treat yourself to something nice - Sae

She gave a soft smile, pocketing the bills.

“There really isn’t much we can do besides wait…” she trailed off.

“We’ll know by the beginning of May or earlier.” Morgana told her. “That was when he said he’d try to get Joker and Skull expelled.”

“I suppose that we should just relax for now.” Makoto said. “Maybe we could head back to Leblanc?”

“You really like that place, huh?” Morgana noted.

“I figure that it’d be a good place for me to study.” she explained.

“Couldn’t you study here?” Morgana asked.

“Leblanc is… very calming.” she told him. “I really like the atmosphere there.”

“Well, ok.” Morgana said. “Let’s get going then.”

She made her way to the cafe, bringing some money to buy some coffee.

The bell rang as she entered the cafe, Sojiro glancing at her as she stepped inside.

“The kid isn’t here today.” Sojiro told her. “Said he was going to the gym and then going to the bathhouse.”

“That’s alright.” she told him. “I just wanted to study here while enjoying some coffee. Would that be ok?”

“That’ll be fine.” Sojiro told her. “I’ll make you something on the house.”

“Are you really sure?” she asked. “I can pay.”

“It’s alright.” Sojiro told her. “You’re the kid’s friend, so it’s fine.”

“He says that, but I don’t want to take advantage of his generosity…” she thought to herself.

“Ok, but… if there’s any way to make it up to you, please let me know.” she told him.

Sojiro simply grunted in acknowledgement, handing her her coffee.

She looked over her entrance exam study guides, as well as her notes for her upcoming midterms.

She heard the bell chime at the entrance, but didn’t pay it much attention at first, until…

“Niijima-san, is that you?”

Hearing a familiar voice, she looked up.

“Akechi-kun?” she gasped.

At the entrance of the cafe stood Goro Akechi, a famed detective dubbed ‘The Detective Prince’. Despite being a high schooler like herself, he had solved numerous cases that had stumped investigators, most of them having to do with mental shutdowns or psychotic breakdowns.

He had worked with her sister several times before, so she occasionally saw them working on cases together at home.

She watched Akechi order a coffee, before sitting across from her.

“Good morning, Niijima-san.” Akechi greeted. “Studious as ever, I see.”

“Did you come here to study as well?” she wondered.

“Oh, no, I just wanted to try the coffee here.” Akechi told her. “Sae-san actually recommended it to me.”

“Really?” she wondered. “I didn’t know sis came here too.”

“Oh? Then how did you find out about this place?” Akechi asked.

“...A student from my school told me about it.” she replied.

“I see. You go to Shujin, correct?” Akechi inquired. “I heard about a recent... incident that happened there.”

“Yes… all this time, I haven’t been able to keep my mind off of it.” she admitted.

She saw Akechi reach into his bag, pulling out a chess set.

“Would you like to play?” he asked her. “It might help a bit.”

“Chess?”

“Have you played before?” Akechi asked her.

“A few times.” she answered honestly. “I suppose I could play a game.”

Akechi nodded, setting up the board.

“I’ll make the first move.” he said.

She watched him begin to advance his white pawn two spaces forward, so she did the same, meeting him in the middle.

They continued their battle of wits for several turns before Akechi spoke up.

“That incident… how did the staff handle it?” Akechi wondered, moving his rook.

“It was… frustrating.” she admitted. “I talked with the principal about it, but he just seemed annoyed at the situation.”

“Does anyone have any idea how something like that happened? The suicide?” Akechi asked, building his defenses. “Was she feeling pressured?”

“There have been… rumors.” she admitted. “But the staff requested… that I don’t investigate them.”

“I assume you listened to them.” Akechi presumed.

“...What makes you say that?” she asked, raising her eyebrow as she advanced her pawn.

“You seem like the type to not question authority, that’s all.” Akechi noted.

“I suppose… a lot of people might view me that way.” she responded.

“And as a good girl type of pushover…” he muttered.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing…” Akechi quickly said, giving a bright smile. “I nearly pushed over my coffee, that's all.”

She nodded, then addressed him again. “I’ve been questioning the students, and think I might have a lead.”

She moved into position.

“Really?” Akechi’s eyes widened. “Even if the staff told you not to?”

He saw his blunder on the board.

“I can't let this go… it's my duty to protect the students.” she declared. “...Checkmate.”

Akechi let out gasp, scanning the board, seeing that she had advanced her pawn to the other side of the board, changing it to a Queen and trapping his king.

“I didn't expect you to be so aggressive…” Akechi trailed off.

“You shouldn't underestimate me.” she warned, a small smile on her face.

“I suppose not.” Akechi smiled back. “Another game then… and this time, I’ll show you my best.”

He flipped the board around. “I’ll be Black this time. You go first.”

She quickly realized how much Akechi was holding back before. This time, his strategy was much more aggressive and brutal.

“How’s work for you?” she asked, thinking over her strategy.

“My superiors have me... very busy lately.” he answered vaguely, knocking down a piece.

“Has there been an increase of crime recently?” she asked.

“You could say that.” Akechi replied.

He knocked another piece down.

“How's sis been doing?” she asked him. “She hasn't been overworking herself, had she?”

“It wouldn't be Sae-san if she wasn't.” Akechi chuckled.

She frowned.

“Ah, sorry, that was a bad joke.” Akechi apologized. “I do tell her to take breaks on occasion, but she's rather invested in an ongoing investigation.”

“Why's that?”

“The police have been investigating gangs in Shibuya.” he explained. “They're a nasty bunch involved in drug and sex trafficking.”

“I remember my father telling me about gangs like that.” she recalled.

“About that…” Akechi whispered. “Sae-san believes that this is the same gang that your father was investigating… and that they were involved with his death.”

“What?!” she exclaimed. “Sis thinks-”

“She never accepted the official report.” Akechi cut her off. “She always thought there was more to the story.”

“She thinks the one responsible is still out there…?” she whispered

“If it's true, then the true culprit must have been very crafty to evade capture.” Akechi told her.

“No wonder Sis had been so stressed lately…” she mused.

“Checkmate.”

“H-Huh?”

She scanned the board over, seeing that he had taken her queen and cornered her king in the same move.

“You completely overwhelmed me.” she muttered. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

“You still did much better than I anticipated.” Akechi complemented. “Perhaps we could do this again sometime.”

“I’d like that.” she smiled. “And… thank you for telling me about Sis’s case.”

“You’re welcome. It seems I might need to make a few reassessments...” Akechi said.

“Reassessments?” she repeated.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Akechi told her as he paid Boss. “Have a good day, Niijima-san.”

She finished her coffee, studying for a bit more before heading home.

* * *

**4/25 Monday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 7**

After her classes finished for the day, she headed to the student council room, seeing her four fellow members already there.

Chiaki Yasui, her vice president and fellow third year, gave her an annoyed look.

“Finally decided to grace us with your presence?” Chiaki scoffed.

“I apologize for my tardiness. I was looking for the student I’ve been tutoring, forgetting that we had a meeting today.”

“That’s not like you, Prez.” Treasurer Daichi Ando pointed out. “Everything ok?”

“I’m fine. It’s just that there’s been so much going on as of late.” she excused.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Historian Kaya Kubo agreed. “That must be why the principal told us he was going to hold an assembly tomorrow.”

“Makes sense after everything that happened.” Daichi sighed. “Some of the students were concerned about that card that Mr. Kamoshida got last week.”

“What a pain.” Chiaki complained. “It’s obviously just some stupid prank.”

“...Yes, of course.” she agreed. “Still, it would help to put their minds at ease.”

“Is that what you were doing last week?” Kayo asked. “I saw you talking to a lot of students.”

“I saw you hanging around Sakamoto and the transfer student.” Chiaki said. “Why are you hanging around those punks?”

“They’re not-” she started, before taking a deep breath. “One thing that I’ve been concerned about is the constant rumor mill going around. I feel like it might be negatively affecting some students.”

“...Why do you care so much about this?” Chiaki scoffed.

She sighed. Despite them both being council members, Chiaki had always had a bit of an attitude, particularly with her, and she wasn’t sure why.

“Amamiya-kun’s record shouldn’t have been leaked.” she told them. “We’re trying to help him, and yet this’ll only make things worse for him. And plenty of other students are feeling the same way.”

“We did get a few notes about that in the suggestion box.” Kayo brought up. “Maybe the principal will bring it up in the meeting.”

“Anything else in the suggestion box?” Daichi asked.

“Oh! That reminds me…” Kaya Kubo spoke. “A few students said they’d like to have some manga added to the school library.”

She pulled out an anonymous note, adjusting her glasses to read from it.

“Yo, Miss Prez, I heard that you might be able to get manga in the library. Is that FOR REAL?! You should do that!”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had a good idea of who wrote that one.

Kayo gave a small giggle, Daichi gave her an amused look, while Chiaki just rolled her eyes.

“I suppose... we could consider that.” she finally said.

“Is there anything else to discuss?” Daichi asked.

“Budget...”

They all glanced at Historian Akemi Ito, who was peeking out from the notebook he had been scribbling on beforehand.

“We still need to work on the budget…” Akemi quietly repeated.

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Kayo beamed. “Good thinking, Akemi.”

Akemi simply went back behind his notebook, mumbling to himself.

“There isn’t really much of a point.” Daichi grumbled. “Mr. Kamoshida and his volleyball club are just going to take the vast majority of the funding like the last few years. The other clubs will be lucky if they get scraps.”

“Well, with how much good press he brings to the school, it makes sense!” Chiaki defended.

“Aww, come on, Yasui-san!” Kayo frowned. “Wouldn’t you like a little more funding for the science club?”

“...Doesn’t matter.” Chiaki muttered. “The principal would reject any budget plan that didn’t give the volleyball team most of the funding.”

“...Let’s make one anyway.”

All eyes were immediately on her.

“You serious, Prez?” Daichi asked. “Would that really work?

“We won’t know until we try!” she encouraged. “We should at least try to make a balanced budget over the next few days. I really do want all clubs to acquire an adequate amount of funding.”

Kamoshida had already ruined so many other clubs. She wanted to begin repairing that damage.

“Oh, maybe a little more supplies for the poetry club!” Kayo beamed.

“Or… the cooking club.” Akemi mumbled.

She smiled. “Exactly. Let's make sure that we really get this budget right!”

Daichi shrugged. “Why not? Can't hurt to try. Let's do it!”

Her smile widened when she saw how motivated her fellow council members were.”

Chiaki sighed. “It seems like a waste, but I’m outvoted, so whatever.”

They spent a while working on the new budget before ending the meeting for the day.

As she stepped out of the meeting room, however…

“Niijima!”

She turned, seeing Chiaki eyeing her suspiciously.

“What are you planning?” Chiaki asked.

“Planning?” she repeated.

“You’ve been acting really weird.” Chiaki accused. “Hanging out with those punks, interrogating students… I thought that the principal was putting you up to it, but now you're proposing a budget like this…”

“I just want what's best for the student body!” she insisted.

“Yeah, whatever.” Chiaki scoffed. “Seems ridiculous to me.”

“Then would you have any suggestions for the budget?” Makoto asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Chiaki smirked. “Why don’t we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

Chiaki nodded. “Whoever gets the higher score on their exams gets to be in charge of the budget. How about that?”

She frowned. “Yasui-san, this is far too important to be settled over a silly competition.”

“What, not confident in yourself?” Chiaki smirked. “Afraid I’ll take the number one spot from you? I promise that I’ll agree to your proposals if you win.”

She narrowed her eyes. “The budget is still far too important. However… if you win, I’ll work with you on some of your other proposals. But I don’t intend to lose.”

“Heh… then it’s a deal.” Chiaki grinned. “The most important thing is that I beat you, anyway, and I’ll be looking forward to that.”

Sealing their deal with a handshake, she felt her competitive nature coming through, her determination growing immensely.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Tower Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**TOWER CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

The meeting now over, she headed home for the day, making sure to get plenty of studying in.

* * *

**4/26 Tuesday**

**Days until Ren and Ryuji’s Expulsion: 6**

As soon as the school day began, all the students and faculty were called down to the auditorium for an assembly.

She listened to the students around her speak.

“Why did they call us here so early?”

“It’s probably about the girl who jumped.”

“It’s not like we need to be told not to kill ourselves.”

“There’s also that calling card. That was really freaky…”

The principal stood at his podium, clearing his throat.

“Now then, let’s begin the school-wide morning assembly.” the principal started. “As you know, a tragic event took place not too long ago. Thankfully, we have been informed that Shiho Suzui will pull through. As for the rest of you, I implore you all to rethink the importance of your lives…”

The more that she listened to the principal speak, the more it seemed like he was just going through a checklist of platitudes and stock phrases. She suspected he had only done this out of necessity, rather than genuine concern.

“All of you have bright futures ahead of you and-”

*Creak*

The door in the back opened, several students turning to see who had entered.

“K-Kamoshida?!” she stammered.

“Mr. Kamoshida! What are you doing here?!” the principal exclaimed.

“I… have been reborn.” Kamoshida whispered. “That is why I need to confess everything to you all…”

With his head down in shame, Kamoshida climbed onto the stage.

“Can this be…?” Mona trailed off.

“I have… performed acts unbecoming of a teacher… unbecoming of anyone.” Kamoshida guiltily said. “I verbally berated students, leaked information about their private lives, and conspired to eliminate any club that wasn’t my own.”

Immediately, the other students began whispering among themselves.

“I also… physically abused my own team, and… and… sexually assaulted female students.” Kamoshida confessed.

Immediately, the whispers grew louder.

“Sexual assault?!”

“No way… did he…”

“I knew there were rumors, but…”

His face wracked with guilt, and clenched his eyes shut as tears began to build. “I am the reason why Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself!”

Kamoshida fell to his knees, hanging his head in shame. “I beat her when I was angry… and tried using her as leverage to get Ann Takamaki to sleep with me. When she refused, I called Shiho down to my office… and I raped her!”

A chorus of gasps broke out amongst the crowd.

“Mr. Kamoshida, get off the stage right now!” the principal roared, his tone a mix of anger… and fear.

“There were even students I sentenced to expulsion, only because I didn’t like them!” Kamoshida continued. “I will rescind those… but for my other actions… the countless other crimes I’ve done… I am truly sorry for everything that I’ve done… I will take responsibility… and kill myself for my crimes!”

The teachers tried to get the students to get back to their classes by shouting over them, but their voices were drowned out by another student’s…

“Don’t run, you bastard!”

She turned to see a furious Ann glaring at Kamoshida.

“Shiho’s is still alive after all the pain and suffering you gave her!” Ann shouted. “You don’t deserve the easy way out when your victims are still hurting! Don’t you dare run!”

“Takamaki-san…” she trailed off.

“Y-You’re right…” Kamoshida muttered, slowly getting to his feet. “I deserve to spend the rest of my life behind bars. To be punished by the law. As of today, I resign from my position and turn myself in. Please… anyone, call the police!”

The students kept talking amongst themselves, the teachers desperately trying to get them back to their classes.

After waiting for the auditorium to clear out, she saw Kamoshida being escorted out of the gym by police officers.

“H-Her too…” Kamoshida muttered to the officers as he looked at her. “I tried… I tried to rape her too…”

The officers quickly dragged him away from her as fast as they could.

“It’s really over… just like that…” she whispered.

Ren and Ryuji walked up to her, unreadable expressions on their faces.

“His heart really did change.” Ren commented. “I’ve never seen anything like that…”

“That was intense…” Ryuji muttered. “That was… the right thing to do, right?”

“I… I don’t think we had any other options.” she told him.

“I guess not… still, that was crazy. I didn’t think I’d all happen so fast…” Ryuji replied.

“U-Um, Amamiya-san?”

They saw Mishima walking over to them, looking a little guilty.

“I’m really sorry for what I did… leaking your record and all. And now everyone’s spreading rumors about you...”

“It’s fine.” Ren told him. “It was Kamoshida’s fault, and it doesn’t bother me that much anyway.”

She cast a glance at Ren, wondering if that was really true.

“Still… I promise to make it up to you someday.” Mishima told him.

Ren simply nodded as Mishima left.

“Speakin’ of rumors, I saw people apoligizin’ to Ann a little bit ago.” Ryuji brought up.

“I suppose Kamoshida’s confession cleared a few things up.” Makoto responded.

“Glad I won’t be expelled, at least.” Ren added.

“Hey you three!” Morgana called. “We need to meet up again after school. There’s a lot to discuss.”

“All right.” Makoto nodded. “Then we’ll meet up on the roof.”

* * *

After classes, they all went to the roof, sitting on the desks up there.

“Man, I was shocked everything went so smoothly!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“His mind didn’t get completely destroyed either.” Ren said.

“Even though his Palace was destroyed, he didn’t suffer a mental shutdown…” Morgana told them. “So by confronting their shadow self without killing them is the key to changing their heart without a cognitive collapse.”

“All right! So we can get people to confess without anything bad happening to them!” Ryuji excitedly yelled.

“Not so loud!” she chastised. “But yes, it is good that he’ll be brought to justice. I… hope that it can give his victims some peace of mind…”

“Everything ok?” Ren asked her.

“I was considering visiting Suzui-san, but… it’s hard for me to work up the nerve.” she admitted. “If I had taken action a little sooner, then-”

“Don’t think like that.” he told her. “I’m sure she doesn’t blame you.”

“You’re probably right… I just need to relax.” she said, taking a deep breath.

“Anyway, how come Kamoshida was the only person in that Metaverse place?” Ryuji wondered.

“It isn’t necessarily limited to him.” Morgana explained. “Anyone whose desires were distorted enough could have a Palace. I could show you if you’d like.”

“Maybe it’s for the best that we lie low for a while.” Ren suggested.

“Still… anyone can have a palace, huh?” she repeated. “That’s… interesting…”

“At least they can’t trace this shit back to us.” Ryuji said. “Not that that’ll stop any rumors.”

“I actually heard some rumors about us threatening him.” Ren recalled. “I doubt most of them bought into the whole Phantom Thieves thing.”

“I was there and I barely believe it!” Ryuji replied. “Anyway… why don’t we see how much money we can make off of this gold medal?”

Ryuji looked it up on his phone, frowning at the results.

“30000 yen?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “That’s all this is worth?!”

“We did get plenty of other treasures from the palace.” Morgana grinned. “I say we celebrate over luxurious food!”

“Heh, guess we could blow this on a nice buffet.” Ryuji grinned. “I’ll find somewhere nice.”

“Why don’t we go at the start of Golden Week?” Ren proposed. “On the 29th?”

“Sounds nice.” she smiled. “I’ll sell the medal tomorrow.”

“Oh man, now I can’t wait for the celebration!” Ryuji grinned.

After planning out where they would go, she headed home for the day.

* * *

After cleaning the house and preparing dinner, she heard her sister enter the apartment.

“Welcome home, Sis.” she greeted. “Dinner’s on the table.”

“Thank you.” Sae said, sitting at the table. “I… heard what happened at school today.”

“You did?” she gasped.

Sae nodded, turning on the television, where, sure enough, they were running a story about Kamoshida.

“Abuse, harassment, rape… what a truly despicable man.” Sae scowled.

“A student even tried to commit suicide because of him.” she told her.

“I know that things must be very hectic at the school right now, but don’t-”

“It won’t get in the way of my studies, Sis!” she promised.

“Very good.” Sae smiled. “Though… I’m curious about why he suddenly confessed to his crimes.”

For just a moment, she considered telling her, but knew there’s no way her sister would believe her, and even if she did, there was no way that she would approve.

“...I have no idea.” she lied.

“Fair enough.” Sae sighed. “I’ll be spending a lot of time at the office the next few days. I was hoping that we could spend some time together for Golden Week, but…”

“It’s ok, Sis.” she told her. “I was going to spend some time with friends.”

“Have you been making friends at Shujin?” Sae asked.

“Yes, I have!” she beamed. “We haven’t known each other for that long, but we really hit it off.”

“These friends of yours… are they boys?” Sae asked, narrowing her eyes.

“S-Sis!” Makoto stammered, her face reddening.

“Hahaha… I’m just kidding, Makoto.” Sae smiled. “Good night, and have fun with your friends.”

She went to bed, finding herself excited for the coming celebration.

* * *

**4/27 Wednesday**

As she went through the alley to get to Untouchable, she noticed two men hanging around the shop, one in a brown suit, and another in a black one.

“So… this is the place, huh?” the brown suited man muttered.

“It is, now let’s take care of this.” the other man responded.

What on Earth were they talking about?

“Jeez… relax, will you. We don’t even have a search warrant.” the brown suited man sighed. “Just be patient.”

“Those must be policemen...” she mused.

She considered coming at a later time, considering the… questionable legality of what she was doing, but ultimately decided to get it over with.

She walked inside of the store, seeing the owner inside.

“...You again. Wanted to make another purchase?” the owner asked.

“Actually, I’m here to sell.” she told him. “I heard that you’re willing to buy all sorts of… items.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Items like…?”

She pulled out the gold medal, placing it on the counter.

“...Who the hell are you, kid?” the man asked.

“I’m… Makoto Niijima.” she answered. “Can you… buy this?”

“30000 yen.” the man quickly said. “I won’t ask where you got this, so take it or leave it.”

“Sounds like he wants to get this over with quickly.” she mused. “And so do I.”

“That would be fine.” she nodded, taking the money from him.

“Say… did you see anyone loitering around my shop?” the man asked.

“I did… why?” she wondered.

“So, it’s almost time…” the owner grumbled.

He reached behind the counter, pulling out a bag from underneath the counter.

“Here, take this with you and go.” the man ordered. “Consider it a bonus for selling me the medal. Don’t open it though, and bring it back the next time you come here.”

“That’s not much of a bonus…” she thought to herself.

“Fine. I’ll bring it back later then.” she promised.

“Good. You catch on quick.” the man nodded, before glancing at the door. “They’re here.”

The two men from before entered the store.

“You’re Munehisa Iwai, yeah?” the brown suited man asked. “We’d like to talk to you about a few things.”

“... Alright kid, go.” the man, who she now knew as Iwai, commanded.

She could have sworn she saw the brown suited man’s eyes widen when he saw her.

She walked towards the door, but lingered around, curious about their conversation.

“So… do you know why we’re here, right?” the brown suited man asked.

“I dunno, lookin’ for evidence?” Iwai smirked. “You tell me, detective.”

“Watch your attitude!” the black suited man shouted, slamming his hands on the counter.

“So what, you want to search me? Go ahead.” Iwai told them, showing no signs of being intimidated.

“Oh really?” the black suited man asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Of course.” Iwai grinned. “An upstanding citizen like myself has no problem cooperating with the police.”

“...You sure this lead is a good one?” the brown suited officer asked.

“I swear that it is!” the other man insisted.

“Listen, could you two hurry up?” Iwai requested. “I kinda got a business to run.”

“Bastard…” the black suited detective scowled.

He looked around, his eyes landing on her.

“Hey, you!” the officer called. “What’s in the bag. Show me!”

“This kid’s just a customer.” Iwai frowned. “Check the taps if you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t want to be here when they see that footage of the medal…” she mused. “I should leave.”

“Hey! I’m not letting you get in the way!” the black suited detective yelled. “Show us what’s in the bag.”

“It’s just something I bought here.” she lied. “I need to get home.”

“Hold on, I won’t just-”

“Relax.” the brown suited detective stressed. “You’re talking to a kid here. She’s not even the one we came to talk to.”

She glanced over at the brown suited detective, nearly letting out a gasp.

He was the same officer that had helped her during the train incident.

“That’s right, detective.” Iwai said. “Stop harassing my customers.”

The brown suited detective glanced over at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

“...Safe trip home, kid.” the detective muttered.

She exited the shop, Morgana poking his head out of the bag.

“What were those detectives doing there?” Morgana asked.

“I’m not sure… but I definitely recognized one of those detectives.” she told him.

“Really?” Morgana asked. “From where?”

“I’ll tell you on the way home.” she said. “We can check what’s in the bag there too.”

* * *

“WAIT, WHAT?!”

She had told Morgana about the incident at the train, and how the conductor had suffered a mental shutdown.

“That sounds really intense.” Morgana grimaced. “No wonder you get nervous on trains.”

She nodded. “That detective was there as well. And when I told him my name… he seemed surprised, as if he knew me.”

“Really?” the not cat wondered. “Do you know him?”

“I have no clue who he is.” she admitted.

“Hmm… Well, what about the bag? What’s in there?” Morgana asked her.

“Let’s check.” she said, looking inside.

Only to gasp, nearly dropping the bag at what she saw.

“What is it?! What is it?!” Morgana exclaimed.

“I-It’s a gun!” she stammered.

“What?!” Morgana gasped, getting a look for himself.

Carefully, she picked up the gun, getting a closer look.

“Now that I look at this… it’s definitely a model.” she noted. “But it looks so real…”

“And a lot better then what we got!” Morgana added. “We should buy this off of him the next time we go there! Something as realistic as this would work great in the Metaverse!”

“So… he really intends for me to go back there…” she mused.

She did, of course, need to fulfill her end of the bargain.

But she couldn’t help but wonder where it would lead her...

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 2

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone!


	12. Establishment

**4/28 Thursday**

“Make sure that you do the dishes later today.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Ren dug into his breakfast curry, happy to find that it was just as delicious as the last ten times he had had it.

He might have a slight addiction…

“Say, did your folks call you?” Sojiro asked. “I just spoke with your probation officer, and I was wondering if they got back to them.”

Ren paused. “No… I haven’t gotten any calls.”

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. “Have you called them?”

“I tried calling my mom, but she never answered.” Ren shrugged.

“What about your father?” Sojiro asked.

“I don’t… he’s not… with my mom anymore.” Ren muttered.

“Oh…” Sojiro trailed off. “I didn’t know. Your mother was the one who worked out all the details with me, but I didn’t think…”

“It’s fine!” Ren quickly said. “I’m sure my mom’s just been really busy. That’s all.”

The door to Leblanc opened, a woman with silver hair walking in.

“Hmm? Was I interrupting something?” the women asked.

“Not at all.” Sojiro dismissed. “What can I get you?”

“The house blend, please.” the woman decided, sitting down and glancing at the television.

As Sojiro began to make her coffee, the news be

“The cause of the runaway train incident still hasn’t been found.” the newscaster said. “Police are hurrying to solve it, as it may be connected to the recent increase of psychotic breakdowns.”

“Is that what everyone’s been talking about?” Sojiro asked.

“I did hear a bit about those…” Ren said.

“I knew someone who was on that train…” the woman at the counter added.

“R-Really?!” Ren stammered. “What happened?”

“They were fine, thankfully.” the woman said. “But many other people weren't so lucky. It was an awful incident that left over fifty people dead. Several higher ups in the Ministry of Transport have already resigned over the incident.

“You’re pretty interested, huh?” Sojiro asked.

“Doesn’t it make you curious?” the woman replied. “People who were living normal lives before suddenly going mad or deranged out of the blue… and they’ve been happening so frequently lately.”

“Hmm…” Sojiro muttered. “Well, anyway, I have your coffee here, Ms...”

“Sae Niijima.” she introduced herself, Ren’s eyes widening as she did so.

Sae turned to look at him. “Are you a part timer here?”

“Err, not… exactly.” Sojiro muttered.

“Are you a high schooler?” Sae asked.

“Yeah, I go to Shujin.” Ren told her.

“I heard that things are rough there right now.” Sae commented. “A teacher named Kamoshida confessed several crimes, but in a way that made him seem like a completely different person. It happened out of nowhere too…”

Ren tried his best not to let any emotion show on his face.

“I’m just glad none of this affected my sister.” Sae added.

“Your… wait, are you Makoto’s sister?!” Ren exclaimed.

Sae paused for a moment, before getting up from her seat and narrowing her eyes at him.

“That’s a very familiar way of referring to her.” Sae said, her voice eerily calm.

Ren paled. “O-Oh, sorry, I just… I just woke up, so I wasn’t paying attention, that’s all. I need to get to school!”

He tried to quickly get already, but Sae was having none of it.

“What’s your name?” Sae asked him.

“A-Akira Kurusu.”

“Don’t lie to a prosecutor.” Sae ordered, narrowing her eyes.

“...Ren Amamiya.” he mumbled.

“And how do you know my sister?” Sae inquired.

“She’s the student council president… a-and my tutor.” he confessed.

“I see…” Sae muttered. “That’s all I wanted to know. I won’t keep you any longer. You should head to your class.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. He ran out of Leblanc as fast as he could.

* * *

School seemed to pass by in a blur. Despite the teachers trying to pretend as if everything was normal, there was a tense and awkward feeling in the air.

Every one of her teachers were extremely quick to point out how ‘they had no idea what was going on’ and also ‘Kamoshida seemed completely normal beforehand’.

She wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but what the principal had said to her had still rubbed her the wrong way.

Even with Kamoshida taken care of, it would take a while to deal with the aftermath.

Hopefully, she would be able to help.

“Are you ok? You look kinda nervous.” Morgana asked, concerned.

“...I was going to visit Suzui-san today.” she told him. “I don’t want to put it off any longer.”

“I see… she’s in the hospital, right?” Morgana asked. “Would they let me in there?”

“It should be fine as long as you stay in the bag around the staff.” she mentioned.

Morgana nodded, hiding inside of the bag as she made her way to the hospital.

* * *

When she arrived, she made her way to the front desk.

“Excuse me.” she called out to the secretary. “Is Shiho Suzui accepting viewers at the moment?”

“Shiho Suzui? Hold on.” the secretary said, before looking on her computer.

She patiently waited as she typed away, trying to calm the anxiety that was building in her stomach.

“Oh, yes, you can visit her.” the secretary smiled. “She actually just woke up yesterday.”

“R-Really?!” she stammered. “Thank goodness.”

“Are you a classmate of hers?” the secretary asked.

“We go to the same school. I was concerned.”

The secretary nodded, telling her the room number and sending her on her way.

As she approached Shiho’s room, she saw another student stepping out of the room.

“Oh! Niijima-sempai!” Ann gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check with Suzui-san.” she explained. “Did you just speak to her?”

“...Yeah.” Ann trailed off. “She woke up yesterday.”

“How’s she doing…?” Makoto asked.

“She’s… fine.” Ann whispered. “Niijima-senpai, are you really here just to visit Shiho?”

“I am.” she nodded. “I was really worried about her, and I wanted to tell her about what happened to Kamoshida.”

Ann thought for a few moments before speaking again. “I see. Well, I already told her about what happened, but you can talk to her.

Ann stepped aside, letting her open the room.

“Suzui-san?” she whispered, stepping inside.

“Who’s there…?”

Her voice sounded so weak…

She saw Shiho staring at the ceiling, rather than turn to face her.

“It’s, um… it’s me, Makoto Niijima.” she answered. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Niijima-sempai?” Shiho repeated as she sat up

“A-Are you ok?” she stammered. “Maybe you should keep laying down.”

“I’m ok.” Shiho insisted. “I just can’t stand on my own.”

“You can’t… oh…” she trailed off.

“It’ll still be awhile before I can walk on my own.” Shiho told her. “Until then, I’ll be confined to a bed or a wheelchair.”

Miraculously, it seemed as if she would make a full recovery. But that did little to ease the guilt she felt.

“Ann already told me about what happened with Kamoshida.” Shiho told her.

“I know. She told me.” Makoto replied. “But that’s not the only reason why I came here.”

She bowed her head towards her. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you! If I had paid better attention to what was going on… if I had acted sooner… then maybe I could have done something!”

“Niijima-senpai…” Shiho trailed off. “Please, there’s no need for you to be sorry.”

“There’s… not?” she asked, raising her head.

“Of course not.” Shiho insisted. “You weren’t the one that… made me feel like… jumping was my only option. You had no idea what was going on, but you still tried to help. You even tried to speak with me, but… I was afraid. Afraid that Kamoshida would find out. That there was no way for me to escape from him.”

She nodded, realizing that Shiho must have felt completely trapped in her situation.

“He can’t hurt you anymore.” Makoto assured her. “I promise.”

“I know.” Shiho nodded. “I’m glad… that Ann won’t need to suffer anymore because of him either.”

“So am I. By the way, how much longer do you have to stay here for?” she asked.

“A long time.” Shiho admitted. “I won’t be recovering for a while. Maybe…”

“Maybe what?” she asked.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you come over to visit again sometime?” Shiho requested. “It gets a little lonely here by myself.”

“Oh, of course!” she promised. “I’d be happy to.”

“Thank you so much, Niijima-senpai.” Shiho expressed, letting out a small smile.

Sensing the younger girl's gratitude sent a wave of relief through her. She hoped she'd continue to be able to help her now that she promised to visit her more often.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Sun Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

She started making her way back home, Morgana popping out of her bag.

“See, I told you that things would be fine!” Morgana grinned.

“I guess you were right.” she admitted. “I just couldn't help but feel nervous.”

She glanced at her phone, seeing several text messages sent by Ren and Ryuji.

“Looks like they found a nice place for us to eat tomorrow.” she smiled.

“Oooh, I hope that place has sushi!” Morgana yelled excitedly.

“They mentioned a buffet, so they must have all sorts of food. We’re meeting at Shibuya Station at noon.” she told him. “I’m not sure if they’ll allow cats though.”

“What?! How could th- wait! I mean… I’m not a cat, so it shouldn’t be a problem at all!” Morgana insisted.

“I’ll keep you hidden in the bag.” she said, letting out a little laugh.

Morgana’s excitement was infectious, as she found herself thinking of all of the coming celebration as she went to bed.

* * *

**4/29 Friday**

“MMMMMM… So good!”

The four of them sat at their table, enjoying an assortment of delicious foods. From beef, to seafood, to desserts… she had no idea where to begin.

“I can see why you guys chose this place!” Morgana grinned.

“Kamoshida was all over the news.” Ryuji told them. “There’s no way the school’s gonna be able to hide this shit.”

“I heard that the police might be interviewing some students.” she brought up.

“That’s not good.” Ren sighed. “Our names are definitely going to come up, especially with all the rumors...”

“Still, it’s kinda cool how he got ‘em all pumped up!” Ryuji grinned. “I keep hearin’ people say stuff like, ‘The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!’”

Ryuji pulled out his phone, showing them an unfamiliar website.

“Check this out.” Ryuji said excitedly. “Some people are really thankful!”

“The Phantom Aficionado Website?” Makoto questioned.

She read the various comments on the website.

“Well done, Phantom Thieves.”

“Now I can keep going too!”

“Thank you for giving us hope.”

“Wow… that’s actually kinda cool.” Ren smiled.

“It’s a little overwhelming, to be honest.” she admitted.

“Oh man! We only have fifty minutes to eat!” Ryuji suddenly realized. “We need to hurry up!”

Ryuji ran from his seat, leaving the two of them.

“You can go.” Ren offered. “I’ll watch our stuff.”

“Thank you.” Makoto smiled, getting up to get her own food.

As she went to grab her food, she heard numerous people discussing the news about Kamoshida.

Among them was a thin man in a suit talking to a woman next to him.

“I don’t know why they’re having us make stories about them, but I just do as I’m told. If gripping news, after all, so who cares if it’s true or not.”

“Wait, so they don’t believe in us, but they’re still spreading stories about us?” Morgana wondered. “That’s kinda strange… wait, that’s a bunch of dessert!”

“I don’t want them to discover us eavesdropping.” she excused. “I-I was just trying to look busy!”

“Yeah, busy stuffing your face with chocolate donuts.” Morgana laughed.

“B-Be quiet!”

She grabbed some salad and seafood from other parts of the buffet before sitting back down at the table.

Ryuji must have come back a lot sooner, as Ren had also gotten his food while she was gone.

“Got a sweet tooth, Makoto?” Ren asked.

“J-Just a small one.” she insisted.

“Caloriessssss…” Ryuji smirked, pointing at her donuts and other sweets.

“D-Don’t tease me!” she snapped. “And you’re one to talk! I don’t see a single vegetable on your plate! Just meat!”

“What’s wrong with meat?!” Ryuji asked.

“Too much of it is bad for you!” she pointed out. “You need to have a more balanced diet.”

“Now you sound like my mom.” Ryuji sighed.

“Back me up, Ren!” she called. “Don’t you have a better diet?”

“...Curry and Big Bang Burger.” Ren confessed.

“What?!” she gasped. “Ren, you can't just eat curry and burgers every day!”

“Aww, give him a break, Mamakoto.” Ryuji smirked.

“W-What?!” she stuttered. “M-Mamakoto?”

Ren and Ryuji immediately started laughing, and even Morgana started snickering in her bag.

“I’m just trying to offer some advice.” she said, giving a small pout before letting out a giggle.

“Well, I did bring a variety of food with me now.” Ren mentioned.

“It looks like you brought back half of the buffet!” Morgana exclaimed.

“What, this? This is nothing! You’re looking at the Big Bang Challenge champion!” Ren bragged.

“Seriously?!” Ryuji gasped. “Is your stomach some kind of black hole?!”

“Hey, you guys got a lot of food too.” Ren pointed out.

She looked down at all of her food, realizing his point.

“All these calories…” she thought to herself. “I’m really going to regret this, aren't I?”

“Well, this food ain’t gonna eat itself!” Ryuji grinned. “So let’s dig in.”

* * *

“I regret everything…” Ryuji groaned.

“I think I’m going to be sick…” she muttered.

Her stomach felt like it was about to burst.

“Urgh… I feel all bloated…” Morgana groaned. “You guys’ll have to carry me.”

“But I do that anyway…” she mumbled.

“Man, that was delicious!” Ren beamed. “I think it’s time for dessert.”

“Where does it all go…?” she questioned.

“Urp… I know where I’m goin’.” Ryuji groaned. “The bathroom.”

“Be gentle when you carry meeeee.” Morgana whimpered.

“Goodness, look at that table…”

They turned to see two well-dressed customers, a man and a woman, giving them disapproving looks.

“So these were the children who were making such a ruckus before.” the man scoffed. “They likely don't normally get the chance to eat such exquisite food.”

“I can only imagine how trashy their parents must be.” the woman huffed.

“Bastards…” Ryuji grumbled as they walked off.

She simply lowered her head, frowning.

“Hey, don’t let those people get you down.” Ren told her. “We came here to celebrate, right?”

“Yeah… you’re… urp.” she muttered, covering her mouth.

“Are you two going to be ok?” Ren asked. “You need me to help you to the bathroom?”

“T-Thank you…” Makoto mumbled, getting up from her seat.

They used the elevator to arrive at a higher floor, heading to the bathroom before heading back.

“I can’t believe the elevator on the restaurant floor was closed.” Ryuji muttered.

“I can’t believe you actually puked in the bathroom.” Morgana grimaced.

“Which floor was the restaurant on again?” Makoto asked.

Before the others could answer, a group of people walked up to the elevator, the one in front bumping into them.

A distinguished looking man with a goatee and orange tinted glasses addressed the man in front.

“Are there still no updates on that case with the teacher?” the distinguished man asked.

“N-Not yet, sir.” another man spoke up. “Excuse me, but why are you interested in this case. It isn’t really something you need to concern yourself with.”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion!” the distinguished man snapped. “When I ask you to pick up the pace, you pick up the pace!”

“Hey, what gives?!” Ryuji yelled. “You can’t just bump into us and cut in line.”

“I didn’t realize that they started a day care here.” the goateed man scoffed.

“What was that?!” Ryuji scowled.

“Don’t bother with them.” the goateed man ordered. “Let’s go.”

The group of men left them alone, heading into the elevator.

“What on Earth was their problem?” she asked.

“That dick really pissed me off!” Ryuji snapped. “He’s the type of guy who looks down on everyone. You think so too, right Ren?”

“Ah… yeah.” Ren muttered.

She glanced over at Ren, seeing an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Is something wrong, Ren?” she wondered.

“No, it’s nothing.” Ren insisted.

“Maybe all that food’s getting to you too.” Morgana brought up.

“Ah… yeah, that must be it.” Ren whispered. “Anyway, we should head back to our table.”

All four of them went back to their table, Ren bringing back a few plates of dessert.

“I noticed that a lot of people were talking about the Kamoshida case.” Ren told them.

“Yeah, I heard some TV guy talkin’ about it, but he only seemed to give a shit about ratings!” Ryuji grumbled. “Don’t they care about the victims?”

“I’m starting to feel out of place here, with how everyone’s acting and treating us.” Makoto admitted.

“I sorta feel that all the time…” Ren mumbled.

“Ren…” she frowned, trailing off.

“S-Sorry, just a joke.” Ren insisted.

“…Say, Morgana, you said anyone can have a palace, right?” Ryuji asked.

“As long as their desires are strong and distorted enough.” Morgana answered.

“So anyone could have a change of heart if their treasure gets stolen?” Ryuji asked.

“That would be the case.” Morgana confirmed.

“Why are you bringing this up?” Ren inquired.

“It's just… I was thinkin’ that there are probably tons of selfish shitheads like those guys we ran into before.” Ryuji told them. “Maybe we could change their hearts too.”

“Do you… want to continue being the Phantom Thieves?” she asked, surprised.

“There are still a bunch of people who don't believe in the Phantom Thieves, but the ones who did were really thankful for what we did to Kamoshida.”

“There are… probably a lot of people who are suffering out there that are getting ignored.” Ren added.

“...I agree.” she finally said. “I can't just sit by and ignore people in trouble anymore.”

“Well, rest assured, under my tutelage, there's nothing we can't accomplish as Phantom Thieves!” Morgana boasted.

“So we should be able to help a lot more people.” Ryuji said.

She had never thought of it like that…

But with the powers they had, they could potentially help a lot of people.

“I want to continue as well. I want to help people in need!” she nodded, a determined expression on her face.

She saw the others giving her approving smiles.

“Even if you guys are new to this, this makes us an actual organization now.” Morgana informed them.

“Then we’re going to need a leader.” Ren mentioned. “What do you say, Makoto?”

“M-Me…?!” she gasped. “Why me?!”

“Why not me?!” Morgana gasped.

“You can't really buy equipment or communicate with most people in this form.” Ren reasoned.

“I suppose.” Morgana conceded. “Not to mention how strong Queen is with her ability to wield multiple personas!

“Plus, you're the council president.” Ryuji added. “She's responsible and knows how to lead people.”

“I suppose…” she trailed off.

“If it's too much, I can handle it.” Ren offered. “I don't want to overwhelm you.”

“No, I can handle it.” she promised. “I swear that I won't let you down.”

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji grinned. “Now all we need is a cool-ass name for us. I went for Phantom Thieves before, but we could change it.”

“What about the Buchi Bandits?” Ren chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. “Absolutely not. Honestly, I liked the Phantom Thieves of Heart that you had before.”

“It was kinda cool.” Ren agreed.

“For real? Well alright, Phantom Thieves it is!” Ryuji grinned. “Now who’ll our next target be. I think it should be someone big so more well known.”

“Like a celebrity or a CEO?” Ren asked.

Ryuji nodded.

“Not a bad idea for you, Ryuji.” Morgana smirked.

“We can't just choose anyone, however.” she pointed out. “Our decision should be unanimous.”

“I like that.” Ren nodded. “It's a lot of power, so we need to be responsible.”

“Let's make this official!” Morgana yelled. “Let's have a toast.”

“Urp… I don't think my stomach could handle toast.” Ryuji grumbled.

“I… think he means with our glasses.” Makoto clarified.

“But I’m the only one with glasses.” Ren joked.

“...You two are just… hehehe…” she giggled, amazed by their antics.

They all raised their glasses, and clinked them together...

“To the Phantom Thieves!”

...And as they did, she felt a small chill.”

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Fortune Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**FORTUNE CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

* * *

“Another world where people’s distortions take place...and stealing treasure to change hearts…” Sae trailed off. “It sounds absurd, and yet your story aligns with what we know about the Kamoshida case.”

“It is true.” she confirmed.

“I see… however, I’m also interested in your accomplices.” Sae brought up. “Aside from the… talking cat, you also mentioned two others. I assume that they were students of Shujin.”

She said nothing, instead just staring at her sister definitely.

*SLAM*

“Answer me!” Sae snapped. “This isn’t a game, Makoto!”

“I’m the leader.” Makoto pointed out. “It’s my responsibility to care for the others. I won’t sell out my teammates.”

“It’s still hard to believe that you’re the leader.” Sae muttered. “Although, I remember that around that time, you started asking me more questions about my work…”

“That’s very impressive how you can remember such small details if it has to do with a case.” Makoto complimented. “...It’s a shame you can’t remember my birthday, though.”

“Why are you bringing that up?!” Sae yelled. “That’s not-”

“Not important, I know.” she cut her off. “What I feel or what I think or what I’ve been through is never important, isn’t it? It’s not important at home, and it’s not important here. It hasn’t been important for three years.”

“Makoto… please.” Sae stressed, her expression softening. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but you need to cooperate with me.”

As frustrated as she was, she knew that she needed to gain her sister’s trust to get through this alive.

“...What do you want to know, then?”

“Did… Kamoshida do anything to you?” Sae hesitantly asked. “Please Makoto, I have to know.”

“That’s doesn’t really have anything to do with-”

“I’m not asking as a prosecutor.” Sae insisted. “I’m asking as your sister.”

“S-Sis…” she trailed off.

She tried to hold back her tears as she recalled what had happened.

“H-He tried too… he called me to his office and locked the door. He… he tried to pull my skirt down.”

She watched as her sister clenched her fists and teeth in anger.

“I-I’m sorry!” she quickly stammered.

Why had she apologized just then?

Perhaps it had just been habit, after months of interactions with her sister making her feel as if _everything_ was her fault.

Whether it be at home or the interrogation room…

Sae’s eyes widened. “Makoto, no. I’m not angry at you. I don’t want any harm to come to you. So, please, cooperate with me.”

Now she showed concern? Now of all times?

Did she… really care? It could be a ploy to earn her trust and get her to confess everything, but…

Even after everything that had happened between the two of them, she wanted to believe that the sister that she had admired and loved when she was little was still there, deep down.

“Ok, I’ll cooperate.” she promised. “At least about our targets.”

Sae nodded, and she felt as if she could feel just a little bit of gratitude from her.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Judgement Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**JUDGEMENT CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“Very well then.” Sae nodded. “Then let’s move onto your next major target. A master of Japanese Arts: Ichiryusai Madarame.”

“Not really much of a master…” she thought to herself.

“Now why did you target this man?” Sae asked. “You weren't connected to him, so explain how you came to know about him and his crimes.”

“Ok.” Makoto complied. “After the buffet...”

* * *

“We may have spent most of our money at the buffet, but it led to us establishing the Phantom Thieves, so I say it was worth it!” Morgana beamed.

She took out her phone, glancing over the website that Ryuji had shown her.

“It looks like six percent of people actually believe that we exist.” she observed.

“That’s kinda low…” Morgana frowned.

“Well, we’ve only changed one heart. Considering that, I think it’s high.” she pointed out.

“Then we’ll just have to work extra hard to get more people to believe in us!” Morgana exclaimed.

“We can start thinking about it tomorrow!”

The not-cat curled beside her on the bed, and she slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Again, she found herself in the velvet room.

She rose from her bed, seeing Igor and the twins waiting for her.

“First, allow me to congratulate you.” Igor grinned.

“To think our master would offer you such praise...” Justine trailed off.

“You’d better treasure this moment, inmate!” Caroline yelled.

“Um… thank you, sir.” she quickly said. “I’ve been doing my best.”

“Indeed. You have found allies who share your ideals, and found your place in reality.” Igor recounted. “While your power is weak now, it can be further refined, giving you strength to stand against the coming ruin.”

She considered how to respond. Igor wasn’t the type to give straight answers, in her experience.

“So, how may I be able to refine this power of mine?” she asked.

“There are many ways.” Igor explained. “Fighting shadows is one way. Fusing your Personas is another way.”

“All of this is possible because of our master!” Caroline reminded her.

“We can offer advice as well.” Justine spoke.

“You’d better keep building your relationships with other people, inmate!” Caroline answered.

“I intend too.” she told them. “I… want to keep spending time with my friends.”

“Excellent.” Justine nodded. “That is another source of power to help you evade ruin.”

“Steadily, you are gaining the power you will need.” Igor grinned. “I shall grant you an ability befitting of your newfound growth and prowess.”

“Thank you, sir.” she said.

“You're welcome.” Igor replied. “I have high hopes for you.”

She sensed Igor’s expectations for her, and found herself eager to meet them...

**HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

“Alright, time’s up, inmate!” Caroline yelled. “But… I guess if you need anything, you could always come back.”

“Yes, we will be looking forward to your next visit.” Justine smiled.

“Are they… lonely?” Makoto pondered.

Before she could think about it any further, she was whisked away back to her bedroom...

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 1

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.6%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone!


	13. Thieves Vs Thieves

Empty...

Just like he thought.

Opening the door with his special set of keys, he took a cautious step inside of the restaurant.

“Heh… looks like you were right, Makki.”

His underling laid his hand on his shoulder, startling him.

“There ain’t no one here... not even a camera. Just like you said.” his underling praised. “Now where do you think they keep the money?”

“Gota, Makki, over there!” another underling muttered, pointing towards a safe.

He gulped.

“Well, what are ya waitin’ for, Makki?” the underling named Gota grinned. “Open it up.”

With trembling fingers, he pulled out his lockpicking kit, getting to work on cracking the safe.

“This place looks pretty fancy! I bet there’s a bunch of cash in there.” Gota greedily said.

“Would have had a lot more if we had gone through with our original plan.” the other underling scoffed. “If only that damn geezer of a painter hadn’t laid us off.”

“Shut it, Raizo! The only reason he laid off the two of us is cause you kept makin’ him suspicious!” Gota argued.

“Me?! You’re the one who wouldn't stop drooling as soon as you saw how much his art was worth!” Raizo countered. “...Maybe we should get back at that old bastard.”

“D-Don’t be reckless.” he stammered, still working on the safe.

Raizo scowled, but said nothing.

“Idiots.” he muttered under his breath.

“Though, I gotta wonder…” Gota trailed off. “If that geezer had enough money to hire his own security, then why’s he livin’ in some old shack?”

“Hell if I know.” Raizo shrugged. “Artists are weird.”

“D-Done.” he stuttered, opening the safe and pulling out large stacks of money.

“Hell yeah, jackpot!” Gota grinned, quickly grabbing his share.

“Not bad, Makki.” Raizo said, grabbing the money. “You know any other places this light on security? We’ll have to plan another heist soon.”

“Soon?” he repeated.

“Of course! This went so well that we outha strike again before people start to notice!” Gota said.

“That’s not gonna be a problem, right?” Raizo asked, cocking a brow.

“N-No no, it’s fine.!” he assured them. “I mean… money has been a little tight.”

Raizo sighed. “Fine, then take the biggest share of the cash.”

“Guess you did do most of the work.” Gota shrugged.

“T-Thanks.” he nodded. “N--Now we need to go!”

The three boys locked the store back before running away under the cover of night.

When he was sure that he was far enough away, he pulled out the large share of cash that he had, grinning to himself.

Another successful heist.

* * *

**4/30 Saturday**

As soon as she arrived at school, she saw a large crowd of students gathering around the bulletin board.

“What’s going on here?” Makoto thought to herself.

She carefully maneuvered her way through the crowd, letting out a gasp at what was hanging from the bulletin board.

_Attention all Shujin students,_

_Please refrain from speaking to the media about anything involving Kamoshida or the students involved with him. These are turbulent times, and as such, not being careful with your words could have an adverse effect on our school, and, by extension, your education and future._

“Is the principal serious about this…?”

“All they care about is the school’s reputation, not us.”

She was inclined to agree with the students around her, feeling her rage grow the more she looked at the sign.

“Niijima-san?”

She turned to find Kayo approaching her.

“Kubu-san.” she greeted. “Did you need anything for the council?”

“Actually, the principal wanted me to find you.” Kayo informed her. “He said that he wanted to speak with you.”

“Thank you for telling me.” she told her. “I will be there right away.”

She made her way to the principal’s office…

Not noticing a certain blonde, pigtailed girl staring at her as she walked away.

“I wonder...” Ann muttered.

“Looks like the principal wants us to keep quiet about this.” a student observed.

“I heard that he knew all about the sexual harassment and just turned a blind eye to it.” another student replied. “I bet he wants to snuff out all the rumors and bad press.”

“Ugh… he’s the worst.” the first student responded. “Is that why he keeps speaking to Niijima lately? I just saw her head in the direction of his office…”

“I heard that Niijima knew too!” the second student exclaimed. “Isn’t she the worst?! She acts all noble, but…”

Ann clenched her fists, overcome by anger.

“Niijima knew, did she?” Ann spat, before walking off.

* * *

“You wished to see me, Principal Kobayakawa?”

She walked into the principal’s office, hoping she hadn’t raised any suspicion.

“You saw the state that Kamoshida was in, didn’t you?” the principal asked. “It’s as if his entire personality changed. Something is very wrong here.”

“What do you mean?” she wondered.

“I heard that there have been a few students that were meddling in his business.” Kobayakawa noted. “They might have bore some sort of grudge against him.”

“To be fair, sir, I believe half the school had a grudge against him, with everything he’s done.” she told him.

“... Be that as it may, some of them might have taken action against them.” the principal reasoned.

“Are you saying that students caused him to change?” Makoto replied.

“That is what I want to know.” he said. “That is why I would like you to look into this.”

He wants me to investigate them?!

“...Sir, you said you heard about students meddling with Kamoshida.” she brought up. “You aren’t… referring to all this talk about those Phantom Thieves, are you?”

“I would like to be able to get a grasp of the situation.” Kobayakawa answered. “That way, I will be able to deal with the media and the police appropriately.”

“Oh… of course…” she muttered.

“Is something the matter?” the principal said, narrowing his eyebrows. “It wouldn’t be good for any of us if we let Shujin be defined by scandals like this, don’t you agree? If something were to happen here, it surely wouldn’t reflect well on me or you.”

“I… suppose.” she whispered.

“Your sister… despite her youth, she holds a very respectable position at the Public Prosecutor’s office, does she not?” the principal noted, giving a wide smile.

She bit her lip as she started brushing her hair to the side. She didn’t know why he was bringing up her sister, but she didn’t like it.

“If something disappointing were to happen here, that wouldn’t reflect very well on your sister, would it?” the principal pointed out, still smiling. “I’m sure that, were she still attending here, she would have solved this in record time.”

And there it was. He was going to guilt her into doing it by bringing her sister into this.

“I know how much your education matters to the both of you, so if you help me with this, then I shall write you a letter of recommendation for any college of your choice.” the principal added.

And this, too. The old her might have found this to be a great deal, but the new her saw it as blackmail.

Do everything I say or I’ll never help you.

As much as she wanted to tell him off, however, she didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so she would simply need to act as the naive tool he thought she was.

“T-That’s such a generous deal, sir!” she gasped. “Thank you so much. I-I’ll do my best, I promise!”

“Wonderful.” the principal grinned. “I have no doubt you’ll succeed.”

She exited his office, closing the door behind her, hoping that she had bought them enough time until things died down.

As soon as she left, the principal frowned.

“I think she’s trustworthy, and yet…” the principal trailed off. “She has been spending time with those two… perhaps a second investigator is in order.”

* * *

The rest of her classes passed by without any more interruptions.

“At least that giant egg seemed to believe us.” Morgana said as the final bell rang.

“Giant… egg?” she repeated.

“You know, that principal guy!” Morgana clarified. “He’s round, bald, and has that ugly beige suit. Looks like an egg.”

Makoto covered her mouth as she let out a snort. “M-Morgana, that's… hehehe.”

“Niijima-san?”

She saw Takayo giving her an odd look.

“O-Oh, sorry!” Makoto stammered. “Did you need anything?”

“I did… but I was hoping that we could speak in private.” Takayo hinted.

Immediately, they headed to the student council room, locking the door behind them.

“What did you wish to talk about, Tachibana-san?” she asked.

“I was hoping that… that you could explain this for me.” Takayo said as she placed something on the table.

The calling card.

Immediately, her body tensed up, hoping Takayo didn’t notice.

“This is… the card that was on the bulletin board.” she noted. “The one that was addressed to Kamoshida.”

“It was on the bulletin board as soon as we all came into school.” Takayo recalled. “Someone must have come in pretty early to post this… someone who wouldn’t raise suspicion by coming early.”

“Do you… have an idea who that person could be?” she asked.

“I was thinking… that it would be someone who was either directly affected by Kamoshida’s abuses… or a person connected to someone who was.” Takayo explained. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been speaking to Kamoshida’s athletes quite a lot… and have been spending plenty of time around Sakamoto and Amamiya.”

“This really isn’t good!” Morgana panicked. “Is this girl onto us?!”

“Have you been following me around?” she asked.

“I just have my ear to the ground at all times. Never underestimate my information gathering skills!” Takayo bragged.

“Let's stop beating around the bush then.” she insisted. “What are you trying to say?”

“I think… that you're this mysterious Phantom Thief!” Takayo accused.

And there it was.

“That's absurd.” she argued, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. “You only have circumstantial evidence. No proof.”

“While it's true that I don't have any direct proof, I think-”

*Ring Ring*

Her phone began to ring in her pocket, startling her.

“Oh, go ahead, you can answer that.” Takayo said.

She took her phone out, seeing that Ryuji was calling her.

She answered the call, only to immediately regret it.

“Hey Makoto, do you think we should have a Phantom Thieves meeting?” Ryuji asked in his very, very, loud voice. “I was wondering what our next target would be after Kamoshida!”

“That idiot!” Morgana hissed.

She quickly hung up on him, but it was too late.

“Well, guess I have my proof now.” Takayo grinned.

“... So what now?” Makoto asked. “What are you going to do now that you know about this.”

“Well, Miss Phantom Thief, I just wanted to say… you guys are so cool!!!” Takayo beamed.

“W-What?” she stammered. “S-Seriously?”

“Of course!” Takayo exclaimed. “I don’t know how you did it, but you must have a strong sense of justice! Sticking up to evil to protect the little guy. I like it!”

“O-Oh, well, I’m glad.” she stammered. “Is… that all that you wanted to tell me?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk about this too! The Phansite!” Takayo grinned, showing her the website she had looked at before.

“Right, that website. I’ve seen it before.” Makoto noted.

“I’m a total Phangirl of you guy’s work!” Takayo commented. “And I wanted to help out in any way that I can!”

“How would you be able to help?” she wondered.

“You have a section of the website where people can submit requests for people whose hearts they want you to change, right?” Takayo asked. “Well, using my information gathering skills and journalistic instincts, I’m sure that I could sniff some interesting work for you.”

“That would be fairly useful…” she thought to herself.

“She’s already proven that she’s got some good intuition.” Morgana whispered.

“That boy you were talking to you did mention needing to find other targets.” Takayo pointed out.

“You certainly make a compelling case.” she admitted. “All right, I accept.

“Great!” Takayo grinned, pushing up the rim of her glasses. “I’m happy to help out!”

Takayo held out her hand, which she gladly shook.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**MOON CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer.” Takayo said, before giving a wink. “I’ll see you later… Miss Phantom Thief!”

“Don’t tell anyone!” she insisted, before walking out of the room.

* * *

As she stepped outside of the school, she ran into Ryuji outside.

“Yo! Miss Prez!” Ryuji grinned. “You get my phone call?”

She resisted the urge to smack him, giving him an exasperated look instead.

“Be a little quieter next time.” she told him. “You don’t know who could be listening.”

“We were nearly caught because of you, numbskull!” Morgana chided.

“W-Well how was I supposed to know?!” Ryuji defended.

“It’s fine, just be careful in the future, ok?” she requested.

“All right, all right.” Ryuji relented. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you were feelin’ up for some training.”

“Training?” she repeated.

“Yeah. There’s this gym called Protein Lovers over by where Ren lives.” Ryuji told her. “I thought maybe training there would help us in the other world.”

“Hmm… you might be onto something.” Morgana admitted.

“Alright, then what are we waiting for?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Let’s start training!”

“Well… if it could help us in the Metaverse, then we should definitely try it.” she agreed. “Lead the way.”

The two of them headed to Protein Lovers, ready for a workout.

“Getting some additional training in was a good idea.” she complimented.

“Thanks.” Ryuji grinned. “I feel like I need to build up my muscles so I can run again.”

“You're planning to run again?” she asked, surprised.

“Back in the palace, I couldn't move like I used to.” Ryuji scowled. “I felt so lame. But once I start getting stronger, I’ll be a lot more helpful.”

“You seem pretty excited.” she noted.

“Hell yeah, I am!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Just wait until our next target, then you’ll see!”

“I have to work hard myself if I want to keep up.” she smiled.

“They got some treadmills in here. I’ll race ya to see who can reach a certain distance first.” Ryuji challenge.

“You're on!” she accepted.

The two of them got onto adjacent treadmills, both of them trying to finish first.

In the end, she managed to beat Ryuji, but only barely.

“Damn…” Ryuji panted. “I’m really out of practice… and my legs feel all tight.

“Are you ok, Ryuji?” she asked, growing concerned.

“I’m fine… it's just… every time I look at my leg, I think of that bastard.” Ryuji scowled.

“Even after his heart’s been changed, a lot of people are still suffering…” she trailed off.

“Rumors are still circling around about me because of him.” Ryuji muttered. “He started tellin’ everyone about my family…”

Noting the dour expression on his face, she attempted to put him at ease.

“You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.” she assured him.

“Nah, it’s alright.” Ryuji shrugged. “You told me about your family, after all. And honestly… it's really just my mom and me.”

“Just the two of you?”

“Yeah. My father left a few years ago.” Ryuji nodded before scowling. “But good riddance to that bastard. I remember him coming home drunk and beating me and my mom.”

“That's awful…” she whispered. “And he… told everyone about that?”

“Yeah… people started lookin’ at me differently after that… and one day I just lost it and hit Kamoshida.” Ryuji admitted.

“I’m so sorry…” she whispered.

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s all in the past.” Ryuji shrugged. “Right now I just gotta focus on the future. We already helped out tons of people when we took down Kamoshida, and we’ll help out tons of other people.”

She could sense Ryuji determination...

**CHARIOT CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

“Looks like I wasn’t the only one to think to come here.”

They both turned to see Ren walking up to them.

“Renren, you came here to work out too?” Ryuji ginned.

“I did… I wanted to get stronger.” he confessed. I felt bad for slowly you guys down back at the palace. We nearly died because of me.”

So, that was still bothering him.

“Ren, it’s not your fault.” she insisted.

“I still want to build up my stamina, and get in shape.” he told her. “But I’m not really sure where to start.”

“Don’t worry about that! I could whip up some sort of exercise plan for you.” Ryuji offered.

“Thank you. I’d really appreciate that.” Ren nodded.

The three began their workout, which ended up being much more intense then she thought.

After half an hour, Ryuji and her were no worse for wear, but Ren was already gasping for air, completely exhausted.

“Looks like you’ve still got a ways to go.” Ryuji grinned.

“Y-You two are insane…” Ren gasped. “There’s no way I can keep up.”

“Well, I was an athlete.” Ryuji told him.

“And I maintain a strict diet and exercise plan.” Makoto added. “Would you… like to call it a day?”

“Just… give me… five minutes…” Ren panted. “I don’t want… to slow... you guys down.”

After a small break, she went to the mat, hoping to practice her aikido.

“Oh, you know martial arts?” Ren asked

“I do. My father made sure to teach my sister and I.” she told him. “Would you like to learn or spar?”

“Ah… I don’t want to hurt you.” Ren told her.

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I assure you, you don’t need to worry about that.”

They stood at opposite sides of the mat, and as soon as the match began, she saw him begin to hesitate.

She immediately pinned him to the ground.

“Urgh…” Ren muttered. “Guess I was worried for nothing.”

“Are you interested in learning martial arts?” she asked.

“A bit, yeah.” he nodded. “There are a lot of different kinds though, so I’ll do some research.”

She helped him to his feet, and after continuing their workout for a little longer, they decided to call it a day.

Before she left the gym, however…

“That was some really impressive aikido!”

A tall, brown haired boy with glasses walked up to her, a smile on his face.

“Oh? Do you practice aikido too?” she asked.

“Oh, no, I practice kendo instead.” the boy told her. “My name is Naoya Makigami, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Makoto Niijima. It’s good to meet you too.” she replied. “Are you… a high school student?”

“Oh, yes, I go to Kosei High School.” he answered. “What school do you go to?”

“Shujin.” she answered.

“Ah…”

It seemed that everyone had heard the news…

“I assume that you know what happened…” she muttered.

“It was all over the news.” Naoya explained. “So many students from my school were talking about it. Some of them heard something about… Phantom Thieves?”

“Ohhh… looks like we’re getting popular.” Morgana grinned.

“They also mentioned something about… a Phansite? Something about sending requests to them about criminals for them to stop?” Naoya continued.

“Yes, I’ve heard about that.” she told him.

“To be honest… I was considering putting in a request myself.” Naoya told her.

“Really?”

“Yeah… there’s been a string of burglaries in my area, including my parent’s restaurant.” he explained to her. “The police haven’t been able to do anything, as they never seem to get caught on camera.”

“Do you have any idea who they could be?” she asked.

“I have an idea.” He admitted. “My older brother’s been hanging out with these two guys who are nothing but trouble. They’ve been hanging around the restaurant a lot, and I’ve caught them looking around at the register or the safe a few times.”

“Hmm… this might just be what we were looking for.” Morgana told her.

“Maybe you should put in a request, just in case.” she encouraged. “You don’t have anything to lose, after all.”

“That’s true.” Naoya agreed. “Guess I’ll do that at home then. It was nice to meet you, Niijima-san.”

“Likewise, Makigami-san.” she smiled.

They went their separate ways, and as she walked out of the gym, Morgana poked his head out of her bag.

“That sounds like a good lead.” Morgana said excitedly. “Let’s tell the other’s later.”

She nodded, taking the subway home before studying and heading to bed.

* * *

**5/1 Sunday**

At Morgana’s insistence, the four of them met up near the subway.

“Ugh, these requests suck!” Ryuji groaned. “It’s just people complaining about their parents making them do chores and shit. There ain’t even any big shots for us to target.”

“Someone’s was mean to me in an online chatroom.” Ren sighed, reading a request. “Yeah, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting.”

“Here’s a good one!” she exclaimed, reading a request. “A gang of thieves have been robbing restaurants in my area. Recently, two men named Raizo Matsui and Gota Ohno were spending lots of time in our family’s restaurant, and later, most of the money there was stolen. I believe those two are the culprits.”

That must have been Naoya’s request.

“All right, there we go!” Ryuji grinned. “If they’re part of a criminal gang stealing money from people, then they’ve gotta have one of those palaces!”

“I agree. Ren nodded. “But what about the keywords?”

“Mementos.” Morgana answered. “Try that.”

“Why?” Ryuji asked.

“I’ll explain later! Just do it!” Morgana ordered.

Ryuji did just that, entering the names and Mementos into the app.

Candidate found.

“Woah, that worked!” Ryuji gasped.

The world began to twist and turn around them, and all the people around them disappeared.

“What happened?!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Does the palace look the same as reality?” Ren wondered.

“Let me explain.” Morgana offered. “We in Mementos right now… the palace that’s shared by everyone except for with extremely distorted desires.”

“So these two are small fry compared to Kamoshida.” Ren noted. “So where are they?”

“The targets… and a bunch of shadows are down the stairs, underground.” Morgana answered.

They all ventured down the stairs, immediately changing into their Thief attire as they did so.

“Looks like the shadows are on high alert.” Joker commented.

“This place looks huge, though!” Skull pointed out. “How are we gonna get around.”

“... Looks like it’s finally time.” Morgana ominously said. “Morgana… transform!”

Morgana leaped into the air, dissipating into a cloud of smoke… only to be replaced by a black bus!

“Get in, everyone!” Morgana called.

“W-What the hell?!” Ryuji shouted in disbelief. “Mona, did you just transform into an effin’ bus?!”

“Oh yeah, for some reason, cats transforming into buses is a really common cognition amongst the general public.” Morgana told them.”

Now that he mentioned it, she was pretty sure she saw a movie with something like that when she was little. It was cute.

Not Buchi levels of cute, but still cute.

“Uh… sure, let’s go with that.” Joker muttered. “I don’t suppose that self-driving catbusses is a common cognition too, is it?”

“Afraid not.” Morgana answered. “One of you needs to drive me.”

“That’s fine. I have my license.” Queen told them.

“Great!” Mona said. “Just flip the switch in the front then.”

Joker and her got in the front, while Ryuji sat in the back as she pressed the switch.

“Ohhhhh…. That feels gooood!” Mona meowed.

“Hahaha… listen to that engine purr.” Joker quipped.

Everyone groaned. This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

A few minutes and half a dozen Joker puns later, they found a strange red portal.

“What’s that, Mona?” Joker asked.

“Looks like our destination.” Mona told them. “You guys ready?”

“Let’s go.” she nodded.

She drove into the portal, arriving in a small chamber with two men inside.

Morgana transformed back into a cat, and the four thieves approached the two men.

“That must be those two’s shadows.” Mona glared. “Gota and Raizo.”

“Who the hell are you brats.” Raizo muttered.

“Are you the guys who’ve been stealin’ from restaurants?!” Ryuji yelled.

“Shit, they’re onto us, Raizo!” Gota cursed. “I thought we made sure not to get caught!”

“What makes you think you can steal from innocent people?!” Ren scowled.

“Shut up, brats! You’ve probably never paid for a damn thing in your lives!” Raizo snapped.

“You’re about to learn how it feels to be stolen from!” Makoto declared. “We’ll take your distorted desires and make you confess to your crimes!”

“Come on, there are a lot of worse people than us!” Gota countered. “What about that Madarame guy, and all the people he’s ruined!”

“Madarame?” Ryuji repeated. “The hell are you talking about?”

Instead of answering, they transformed, Gota becoming a giant red demon wielding a large blade, while Raizo became a roasted chicken with a human head.

“An Oni and a Onmoraki.” Morgana explained. “Be careful.”

Ryuji immediately charged Gota, slamming his club into his side, but it did minimal damage, and the Oni quickly slammed the flat of his blade against Ryuji.

Meanwhile, Ren dodged fireballs coming out of Raizo’s mouth, trying to counter with an Eiha spell.

Much to his surprise, however, the curse magic did nothing, Raizo quickly countering with fire, singeing Ren.

As she went to heal Ryuji, Gota began rampaging, narrowly missing her as he slammed his blade into the ground.

She tried to counter with a punch, only for it to do pitiful damage and nearly get her bisected as Gota swung his blade.

Seeing that Mona was having similar trouble getting around the fire, she thought of a new plan.

“Joker! Skull! Switch!” she ordered, Joker coming to his side.

“Come at me, clown shoes!” Gota taunted.

Joker frowned. “Ok. That’s it! You go down first. Dream Needle!”

Gota laughed as the gunshot approached, knowing it would do minimal damage.

What Gota wasn’t expecting, however, was it to lull him to sleep, allowing her to prepare a power Frei spell to blast him off of his feet.

Meanwhile, Ryuji’s height and endurance allowed him to cover Mona from the fire as the not cat fired from his slingshot, hitting Raizo in the head and knocking him to the ground beside Gota.

“Now finish them!” she shouted, all four of them unleashing a powerful attack to take them out.

Defeated, they reverted back to their human forms.

“Damn it…” Gota muttered. “If it weren't for that geezer of a painted, we wouldn’t have been laid off.”

“Geezer?” she questioned.

“Madarame!” Raizo answered. “We used to work for him as security guards. But he treated us like shit! He starts treating everyone like shit eventually, even his own apprentices!”

“Rich guys like him steal all the time.” Gota muttered. “But people only ever go after the little guys like us that are just tryin’ to make a livin’.”

“So, this Madarame person… it sounds like he’s caused you quite a bit of suffering.” Queen noted. “But that doesn’t mean you should drag innocent people into this by stealing from them.”

“Yeah… guess you’re right…” Raizo sighed.

“We’re sorry…” Gota apologize. “But if you’re taking down thieves…”

“Then take down that bastard Madarame too!” Raizo finished.

The two of them disappeared, leaving behind two shining orbs.

“That must be their treasure!” Morgana said. “Take it, Queen.”

She nodded, doing just that.

“Hopefully the person who posted that request can comment again if those guy’s hearts changed.” Skull said.

“Yeah, it’ll be good if we could help more people here.” Ren nodded. “Not to mention, the shadows here are good training.”

“And we can find lots of treasure here too!” Morgana beamed, his eyes gleaming.

“The painter Madarame…” she trailed off.

“Oh yeah, that’s the guy those two kept talking about.” Ryuji recalled. “Maybe we could look into him.”

“For now though, let’s get out of here.” Mona ordered.

As they got back to the entrance of Mementos, however, they saw a car parked there, as well as what looked like a small child.

“What? A persona in Mementos?!” Morgana gasped.

The boy turned around, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Huh? How strange… What are you guys doing here?” the boy asked.

“W-What… we should be asked the same thing.” Morgana countered.

“Oh, good point. Sorry.” the boy apologized. “It’s customary for a human to introduce himself before asking another human their name. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Cat.”

“Oh no…” Joker whispered. “He said the C word.”

“I’m not a cat!” Morgana yelled.

“Yeah, he’s actually a van.” Joker said.

“Shut it, frizzy hair!”

“I’m Jose!” The child said, introducing himself. “I’ve been studying humans. That’s why I’m looking for flowers to turn them into drinks.”

“Um… I’m just gonna pretend that made sense.” Ryuji sighed.

“Surely there are more effective means of studying, right?” Queen asked.

“Maybe you could help me gather flowers?” Jose asked. “What are your names… wait, never mind. I heard that humans like giving her nicknames.”

“Heh… we already have a nickname for Bonehead over here.” Mona smirked.

“Who’re you callin’ Bonehead, cat!”

“Bonehead and Kitty, got it!” Jose nodded.

“Don’t call me that!” Mona snapped.

“What’s wrong Kitty? Are you grumpy?” Jose asked.

“L-Let’s move on, shall we?” she quickly said before Mona got any angrier.

“That’s a good idea, scary lady!” Jose smiled.

“S-Scary lady?!” she stammered

She placed her hands on her hips, giving a fierce glare in Skull and Mona’s direction. “I’m not scary, am I?!”

“N-No Ma’am!” Skull quickly stammered.

“N-No Queen!” Mona followed.

Joker let out a soft chuckle. “Guess there's your answer.”

“Do you not like that nickname?” Jose asked. “Is there something you’d prefer? Something other people call you?”

She immediately looked towards Ren. “Joker, st-”

“Call her Beep Boop!” Joker exclaimed.

She glared at him as Jose nodded in approval.

“I like it!” the little boy smiled. “As for you… you can be Clown Shoes!”

“W-Why does everyone here call me that?” Joker frowned.

“Well you are a Joker.” she smirked. “Guess the clown shoe’s on the other foot now!”

“Ugh… is that how my jokes sound?” Ren muttered.

“Here, Miss Beep Boop, take this!” Jose said, offering a star shaped object. “It grants wishes, like stars in the sky. It’s a symbol of our friendship.”

“Oh… thank you.” she said, taking the star.

Could this really grant wishes? Maybe she’d test it out later.

“I’ll be here the next time you come.” Jose promised, before honking his horn. “Good job!”

After Jose left, they exited Mementos, returning to the real world.

“Hell yeah, another success!” Ryuji grinned. “And I bet we’ll get a lot more in from the Phansite.”

“I wonder who made this site…” she asked aloud.

“Mishima made it.” Ren told her. “He told me at school. He also said he’d keep on the lookout for more targets.”

“Oh. That’ll be very helpful.” she nodded.

“Speakin’ of school, do you think we’ll be able to keep meeting on the school roof?” Ryuji asked.

“We’ll need a new meeting place.” she told them. “The principal was getting suspicious, and wanted me to investigate.”

“We can figure all that out later. Good work today, team.” Morgana complimented.

They all said their goodbyes before heading home.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.6%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. Have a great day, everyone!


	14. Keeping Busy

**5/2 Monday**

When she woke up and got ready, she saw her sister watching an interview on the television.

“Is that Akechi-kun on T.V?” she asked.

“He’s doing another interview.” Sae answered. “I’ve lost count of how many he’s had.”

“So, Akechi-kun, when you’re not solving cases, what do you do in your spare time?” the interviewer asked.

“Well, lately, I’ve been hanging out around a cafe called Leblanc.” Akechi mentioned. “I really like the atmosphere there. I actually left a positive review of it on my blog.”

“You know, I met a friend of yours over at Leblanc.” Sae mentioned.

“Oh, really?” she asked. “That must have been R-er, Amamiya-kun, right?”

“...Yes, that was it.” Sae nodded, before narrowing her eyes. “He seemed to be very familiar with you…”

“W-We’re just friends, sis!” she insisted.

The last thing she needed was for her sister to go around interrogating her friends.

“Well, alright… I just don’t want you hanging out with the wrong crowd, that’s all.” Sae mentioned.

“...I’ll be careful, sis, I promise.” she told her.

“Good.” Sae said. “Now hurry on to school, ok? Your exams are coming up, so you can’t afford to miss a day.”

“Bye, sis!” she said, giving a small wave as she headed out the door.

* * *

“A painter named Madarame, huh?”

She sat across from Takayo in the student council room, who she had called down after classes ended, and watched the girl as she was deep in thought.

“Have you heard of anyone like that?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I have!” Takayo grinned. “He’s a pretty famous artist. There have been tons of stories on him.”

“Could you perhaps look into him for me?” she asked.

“Oh? Is he a potential target?” Takayo grinned.

“Possibly…” she answered. “I want to see what kind of person he is.”

“So, you want to see if there’s anything to suggest that he might not be a good person.” Takayo noted.

“That’s what I was hoping for.” she nodded. “I don’t want to target someone who’s innocent.”

“That strong sense of justice is what I like about you, Niijima-san!” Takayo beamed. “I just wish I could be there with you doing… whatever it is you do to guys like Kamoshida.”

“Trust me, you’ve been a big help as well!”

“O-Of course!” Takayo agreed. “Never underestimate the power of journalism!”

“You certainly have quite a passion for it.” she observed. “Were you hoping to become a journalist in the future?”

“I was! I come from a long line of people with jobs in journalism, whether they be independent or working for a major network!” Takayo proudly said.

“That’s interesting. It’s sort of the same thing in my family.” she claimed. “A lot of the members in my family were in law enforcement.”

“Then were you thinking about joining law enforcement yourself?” Takayo asked.

“I’m… not really sure.” she answered honestly.

Before, she had thought that she would become a prosecutor, but that was only because that was what her older sister did.

Now she considered herself to be a bit more independent, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to be.

It might be because… no one had ever asked.

For so long, she had just let others decide the course of her life…

“Well, I still think it’s really cool how we’re teaming up!” Takayo grinned, pushing up her glasses. “We’re like this awesome crime fighting duo, exposing criminals left and right!”

“H-Hey, calm down, ok!” she insisted. “Someone could be listening.”

“O-Oh, my bad.” Takayo apologized. “Actually, I was wondering if you knew the person who made the Phan-Site? I wanted to see if I could work with them when it came to posting any targets I might snoop out.”

“Do you know Mishima Yuuki?” she asked. “He was the one who set it up. If you talk to him about it he might let you.”

“Great! We should exchange phone numbers too, so I can get back to you quickly.” Takayo suggested.

After doing just that, Takayo gave her a determined expression.

“I promise that I’m going to do my best to help you out!” Takayo told her. “I’ll even run a few stories about you guys to help get you some positive press.”

“Thank you very much.” she said sincerely. “I really appreciate it.”

Having Takayo’s support made her feel a bit more confident.

**MOON CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

After her meeting with Takayo, she stepped outside, feeling a vibration in her pocket.

Checking her phone, she saw that she had gotten a text from Ren.

Ren: Hey, could we meet up at Leblanc? I wanted to study a bit, since exams are coming up.

Right, exams. With everything that had happened, she had nearly forgotten, which was quite unlike her.

She took the subway to Yongen-Jaya, making her way to Leblanc.

As soon as she entered the cafe, however. she saw that it was surprisingly packed. She had never seen the cozy cafe so bustling before.

“Hey! You said you’d help me out if I needed it, right?” Sojiro asked, grabbing her attention.

“O-Oh, yes, but I don’t know how-”

“It’s fine, you can take out the orders to the customers.” Sojiro told her. “Don’t worry, you’ll be compensated.”

She nodded, heading into the kitchen and putting on the white apron.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“O-Oh, um, uh…” Ren trailed off, his cheeks reddening.

“Hey, quit staring and get back to work.” Sojiro ordered.

She took out a small notepad and began diligently taking orders and bringing food out to customers.

“You could learn a thing or two from her, you know?” Sojiro pointed out to Ren.

“I know, I know.” he sighed. “I’ll do my best.”

The two worked as a team, perfectly in sync, Ren making the food she asked for, giving them to her to serve, and taking back the plates to clean.

Everything had been going perfectly fine until an elderly woman got up from her chair, bumping into her, causing a cup of coffee to fall from her tray.

Thankfully, Ren was there to quickly grab the coffee cup, preventing it from spilling…

However, his other arm… was wrapped around her waist.

“O-Oh… thank you.” she whispered, her face heating up for some reason.

Ren seemed to realize where his hand was, as he quickly pulled away.

“S-Sorry.” he stammered. “I just… I thought you were about to fall, a-and that you n-needed to balance, and-”

“N-No, it’s ok. I understand.” she replied.

“Sorry about that, dear.” the old woman said.

“No, I should have been paying attention to where I was going.” Makoto insisted.

“Well, I must say, the two of you look suit each other very nicely.” the old woman smiled. “It takes me back to when I was first married.”

“H-H-Huh?!” Makoto stammered, her brain taking several seconds to process what the old woman had just said.

“W-We’re just friends.” Ren quickly said.

“Y-Yes! You’re misunderstanding!” she added.

The older woman simply let out a laugh before leaving her payment on the table and leaving.

After what felt like an eternity, business finally started to slow down, and Sojiro came to take out the trash and close up shop as the last customers left.

“Sorry about all of that.” Ren apologized. “We weren't able to get any studying done.”

“That's ok. We can study another day.” she offered. “Hopefully when Leblanc isn't so busy.”

“It's strange. Usually this place is closer to empty than full.” Ren smirked.

“Careful, or I might tell Boss.” she teased.

“Don’t do that.” Ren chuckled. “He might dock my non-existent paycheck.”

She let out a giggle. “How’s everything been between you two?”

“A little better.” Ren said. “He’s still kinda cold, but I think he just wants me to stay out of trouble.”

“Do you have any idea why the cafe was so packed today?” she asked.

“Some of the new customers mentioned an interview…”

“Oh, maybe the one with Akechi-kun.” she realized. “He was actually talking about Leblanc in an interview.”

“Who's that?” he asked.

“He’s a famous detective, despite being the same age as me.” she told him. “He’s worked with my sister several times before, so that's how I know him.”

“Well, thanks for helping me out back there.” Ren said. “There's no way I would have been able to handle that many customers myself.”

“I’m happy to help and support you whenever you need me.” she beamed.

“Thanks. Hopefully, I can do the same for you.” Ren smiled back.

Sojiro came back into the cafe, walking up to her.

“Thanks for helping out today.” the older man said. “Here’s your pay.”

“Thank you, Boss.” she smiled, taking the payment.

“So, how was your first day on the job?” the cafe owner asked.

“It was a lot more hectic than I thought it would be, that’s for sure.” she laughed. “But I really enjoyed it.”

“Well, if you ever want to come back and work here again, you’re welcome too.” Sojiro smiled. “I might just call you down on busy days.”

“Oh, I’d be happy to!” she nodded. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sojiro said. “If you’d like, I could even give you a few tips on making coffee too, so you could help a bit inside the kitchen.”

“Could even get a nice cup of coffee and study on your break.” Ren suggested.

“That sounds wonderful.” she beamed. “I’d be happy to.”

As she worked out the details with Sojiro, she felt a shiver run through her...

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Hierophant Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**HIEROPHANT CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

After gathering her belongings, she said her goodbyes to Boss and Ren, and headed home.

* * *

**5/3 Tuesday**

Not having classes for the day, she decided to head back to the gym that Ryuji had shown her before. If it really could make her stronger in the Metaverse, it would be even more important for her to maintain a solid exercise routine.

She spent most of her time running on the treadmill or practicing her aikido, thought she spent a bit of time punching the punching bag in the gym as well.

With everything that had happened so far, as well as the coming exams, it was good to have an outlet for her stress, whether it be shadows or a punching bag.

After finishing her workout, she walked towards the exit, only to spy a familiar face on her way there.

“O-Oh, Niijima-san, I’m glad you’re here!”

Naoya, the boy she had spoken to the last time she was here, walked up to her with a bright smile on his face.

“Niijima-san, you’ll never believe what happened!” Naoya grinned.

“What could it be?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “Whatever it is, you seem quite excited about it.”

“It’s about those thieves I talked to you about before!” Naoya told her.

“The… Phantom Thieves?” she asked.

“No… well, yes, but the other thieves too!” Naoya said excitedly. “The ones that were stealing from restaurants.”

“Did something happen to them?” she asked.

“Just the other day, they confessed in front of my entire neighborhood about all of the places they stole from. A bunch of people surrounded them until the police arrived. They weren't able to return all the money they stole, but at least we won’t be able to deal with those two anymore.”

“That’s incredible!” she exclaimed. “But how did that happen?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but I think that it might have had something to do with the Phantom Thieves.” Naoya theorized. “The way that they confessed seemed really similar to how that gym teacher at your school confessed, at least from what I heard.”

“Then did you end up posting a request to the Phan Site?” she asked.

“I did!” Naoya smiled. “I really wanted to thank you for suggesting that I send in a request. I was a little skeptical at first, but everything turned out great.”

“You’re very welcome.” she smiled. “Did your parents get back all the money that was stolen?”

Naoya sighed. “Unfortunately, they only had a fraction of the money that was stolen. I guess that they must have already spent the rest of it.”

“I’m sorry that happened.” she sympathized.

Naoya shook his head. “That’s ok. My family’s restaurant is very well liked in the community, so I’m sure that we’ll make it through this.”

“Well, I’m happy that everything worked out for you.” she said sincerely.

“Thanks to you and the Phantom Thieves.” Naoya said. “Perhaps we could… help each other out. Teach each other more about our martial arts.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” she complemented.

“Great! I’ll be sure to teach you everything I can!” Naoya smiled.

As she made her deal with Naoya, a voice that she was now all too familiar with rang out in her head...

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the Temperance Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**TEMPERANCE CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“So, Naoya, is your family's restaurant popular?” she wondered. “I might want to head there sometime myself.

“Decently so, yeah.” Naoya answered. “It’s a small restaurant in Shibuya. But my folks are also very generous. They’ll even give out meals to those who can’t afford them sometimes, including some of my classmates.”

“That _is_ very generous.” Makoto acknowledged. “And… you said they feed some of your classmates?”

“Yes, there’s a classmate of mine who I’m always worrying about. I’m worried that he doesn’t get enough to eat, so I offer him meals at the restaurant sometimes.”

“That’s very kind of you.” she told him. “Although I’m a little concerned about that other student now.”

“His name’s Yusuke Kitagawa.” Naoya told her. “He’s an apprentice of the famous artist Madarame.”

“M-Madarame?!” she stammered.

“Have you heard of him?” Naoya wondered. “He’s doing an art exhibit soon. Kitagawa-san was telling how he wanted to have an art piece ready to put in the exhibit too, but he’s been busy looking for a muse.”

“A muse?” she repeated.

“Yeah. He told me that he was looking for someone to paint. Someone… elegant, he said.”

She thought to herself, considering how she should respond.

“If this Yusuke Kitagawa is an apprentice of Madarame, this might be my chance.” she mused.

“Niijima-san?”

“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking.” she explained. “Thinking… that I wouldn’t mind being his muse.”

“Really?” Naoya asked. “Well, I could talk to him about it if you’re serious. He might just take you up on that offer.”

“I’m considering it.” she admitted to him. “Let’s exchange cellphone numbers so we can keep in touch about this and our workout sessions.”

“Good idea.” Naoya nodded.

After they exchanged numbers, she went out of the gym, Morgana popping his head out of her bag.

“Looks like we just found a great lead!” Morgana exclaimed. “If you agree to be a muse for that guy, you could get a bunch of information on Madarame.”

“I want to wait and see if Tachibana-san can get some information as well.” she told the not-cat. “We don’t want to charge into this with guns blazing.”

“I guess not, but we’ll have to choose a target eventually.” Morgana pointed out.

With Morgana's words in mind, she went back home and went to bed.

* * *

**5/4 Wednesday**

With another day off from school, she found herself not knowing what she should do. She could study, sure, but even she would grow tired of it eventually, especially when she was doing it alone.

And despite it being Golden Week, her sister was still spending most of her time in the office.

‘Crime never sleeps’, as her sister would say.

She really needed to pick up a hobby or two…

She considered calling Ren or Ryuji, and maybe they could go somewhere together.

“Ren wanted to study with you before, right?” Morgana asked.

“That’s true.” she nodded. “There’s a nice library in Shibuya that I go to sometimes. We could study there.”

She took out her phone, hoping that Ren wasn’t too busy as she texted him.

Makoto: Would you like to meet up at a library to study? I can text you directions.

He quickly responded.

Ren: Yeah, sounds great.

She bit her lip, wondering how to word her next question.

Makoto: Maybe afterwards, we could… hang out a little?

She really hoped she didn’t sound too awkward.

It took him a bit longer to respond to this text, which made her nervous, but she was quickly relieved when she saw his response.

Ren: Yeah, that sounds great. See you there.

She texted him the directions before setting out for the library.

* * *

“Where is he?” Morgana groaned. “You don’t think he ditched, do you?”

“Ren wouldn’t do that.” she insisted. “He’s probably just running late.”

Sure enough, 15 minutes after she arrived, Ren came running up to them, out of breath.

“Sorry, sorry.” Ren panted. “I’m still getting used to navigating Tokyo.”

“I understand.” she smiled. “It must be a bit overwhelming for you, trying to get used to the big city.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Ren told her. “Should we start our study session?”

She nodded, the two of them entering the library.

As they walked towards a table to study at, she noticed a bookshelf with tons of manga on them.

She knew that Ryuji really enjoyed manga, so maybe she would like it too…

Two manga seemed to catch her eyes. One of them seemed to be a sort of action manga, with a muscular martial artist in some sort of post-apocalyptic city. The second one seemed to be a romance manga, with a smirking, scruffy looking boy and a blushing girl next to him.

She glanced around, making sure that no one was looking, and took the two manga to check out.

She sat down next to Ren, quizzing him on everything he needed to know the upcoming exams, and even getting some studying in herself.

After about an hour, the two of them decided to take a break.

“You did very good.” she complimented. “If you keep this up, you’ll easily ace your exams.”

“All thanks to my tutor.” he grinned.

“Would you, um… like to go somewhere… together?” she asked.

“Did you have anywhere in mind?” he asked.

“I… was hoping that you’d have an idea on where to go.” she confessed. “I don’t really know what other people do for fun.”

“Well… there’s a batting cage near Leblanc. We could head there.” Ren suggested.

“A batting cage… I can’t say I’ve ever been there before.” she admitted. “Sure. Let’s go.”

As they got up from their seats, however.

“PREZZZZZZZZZZ!”

Someone called out loudly to them, earning annoyed glares from the other people in the library.

“Eiko?” she said.

“Miss Prez, it’s an emergency!” Eiko yelled. “An E-MER-GEN-CY!”

“Eiko, quiet down!” she hissed. “We’re in a library.”

“O-Oh, my bad.” Eiko whispered.

“Is this a friend of yours?” Ren asked.

“This is Eiko Takao.” she told him. “And Eiko, this is Ren Amamiya.”

“Oh, hello!” Eiko beamed. “Miss Prez’s told me _all_ about you.”

“Good things, I hope.” Ren chuckled.

“Oh yes. Very, _very_ , good things.” Eiko grinned.

“E-Eiko!” she stammered.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Amamiya-kun!” Eiko said sincerely.

“It’s good to meet you too.” Ren smiled.

“Soooo, what were the two of you up to?” Eiko asked, seemingly forgetting why she had called out to Makoto in the first place.

“We got some studying done, but we were going to head to a batting cage together after this.” Ren told her.

“Ooooh, I see.” Eiko giggled. “Well, never mind then.”

“Hold on, didn’t you need to ask me something?” she asked Eiko.

“Oh, I was just going to ask you to help me study for my exams, but that can wait for another day.” Eiko grinned. “I wouldn't want to interrupt your little date!”

“D-Date?!” she stammered. “N-No, you have it all wrong.”

“If you say soooo.” Eiko giggled. “Make sure you treat her well, Amamiya-kun!”

“Like a Queen.” Ren chuckled.

“R-Ren! Don’t encourage her.” Makoto stammered.

“See you Miss Prez! See you Renny!” Eiko waved, before heading to another aisle to look at magazines.

“Renny?” Ren repeated. “How many people are gonna have different nicknames for me?”

“What, you don’t like it, Renren?” she smirked.

“L-Let’s just get going to the batting cage.” Ren muttered.

* * *

“Eep!”

The ball whizzed by her at incredible speeds, causing her to flinch and miss the ball completely.

“Relax.” Ren encouraged. “Just take a deep breath and focus, ok?”

“Right.” she nodded, taking a deep breath before keeping her eyes glued to the ball.

She began unconsciously using her third eyes, seeing the ball heading straight forward…

And she swung her bat at just the right time.

“I-I did it!” she gasped. “I did it, Ren!”

“You did great!” Ren grinned. “But, uh, your round’s not over yet.”

“O-Oh, right!”

The two Thieves played a few more rounds of baseball before ending. By the end of it, she was hitting nearly every ball that came her way.

“That was really fun!” Makoto expressed. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Thanks for coming with me.” Ren smiled. “Uh…”

“What is it, Ren?”

“Sorry if I’m bringing down the mood, but I was curious… how’s everything going with our current target?”

“Madarame? Well, I think I might have a lead.” she told him. “I might wait for a bit more information, but I learned that Madarame has an apprentice named Yusuke Kitagawa.”

“Maybe we could get some more information about Madarame from him.” Ren suggested.

“That’s what I was hoping for.” she nodded. “From what I hear, he’s looking for a muse, so I thought offering to become one would allow me to glean information from him.”

“Pretty smart.” Ren grinned. “But we don’t know the guy, so maybe Ryuji and I could come with you to make sure he doesn’t try anything funny.”

“Thank you for that.” she smiled.

“You can rely on me!” Ren grinned. “Oh, but speaking of targets, I wonder if there’s anything on the Phan-Site.”

He brought up the website on his phone, but frowned when he saw what was on there.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Someone… wrote a request to change your heart.” Ren told her.

“What?!” she exclaimed.

She quickly glanced over at her phone, seeing it for herself.

_I’m putting in a request for Makoto Niijima, the student council president at Shujin Academy. You were the guys who changed Kamoshida’s heart, right? Well, you should know that she totally knew all about his abuses, but turned a blind eye to it! She’s supposed to represent the students, but all she cares about is sucking up to the staff for a letter of recommendation!_

She felt tears begin to prick at her eyes as she read through the request.

“This… is how they think about me.” she whispered. “I-I knew there were rumors, but I… I didn’t know that…”

“You didn’t know what was happening.” Ren said softly. “I know, Makoto. I know the truth. I know that you’re not at fault at all. You’re an amazing person, no matter what anyone else says.”

“Thank you, Ren.” she mumbled.

She continued to look through the requests, but they only made her sadder.

_I want to make a request to change Ren Amamiya’s heart. He’s a no good delinquent that deserves to be in prison, not our school._

There was a request to change Ren’s heart too. And it wasn’t the only one...

_I heard that Ren Amamiya beats his girlfriend. Change his heart!_

And another...

_I heard that he’s part of the Yakuza. Change his heart right now!_

And another...

_Nobody likes him. Everyone hates that psychopath criminal. Just change his damn heart!_

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s…” she trailed off, not sure whether to tell him.

“I know… there are lots of requests about me.” Ren said. “But it’s ok! Because it doesn’t bother me at all.”

She saw him flash her a bright smile…

But once again, it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Ren, are you sure you’re ok?” she asked again.

“...It’s ok. I’m used to the rumors at this point.” he told her. “I’m fine… I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t have to get used to it!” she yelled.

He turned to look at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but what they’re doing to you is wrong.” she said. “You’re a good person too, Ren. If… those rumors are bothering you, even if it’s just a little bit, you can tell me, ok?”

Ren seemed to hesitate for just a moment, his smile dropping ever so slightly.

“I…I...”

...But it came back just as quickly.

“I will. I-If I do feel upset in the future, that is.” Ren said, smiling brightly. “Thanks for today, Makoto. I had a lot of fun.”

“...Yeah. Me too. I’ll see you later, then.”

“...Yeah. See you… and thanks.” Ren told her. “I appreciate you being there.”

She let out a small smile, happy that she had earned a little more of his trust.

**FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

They parted ways, and on her way home, she couldn’t help but wonder if Ren was really as fine as he claimed, as well as Madarame’s apprentice, and what type of person he would be...

* * *

Diligently, he had continued to paint the canvas well into the night. He frowned as his stomach growled for the umpteenth time, a consequence of eating just a single meal today.

His master had always told him, however, that an artist must suffer for his art, hence why he insisted that, as his apprentice, that he should limit himself to one small meal a day. This pain would only further fuel his desire to create the perfect painting, just like the Sayuri that inspired him.

“Not good enough…” Yusuke muttered, frowning as he looked at his painting.

Feeling a little dizzy, he decided to tune in for the night. Although there was only a mat to sleep in, he was thankful that he was the only one here. When there had been more apprentices, they had all been pressed up against each other, as there was barely enough room on the floor to lay down and sleep.

Finally, despite his aching head and rumbling stomach, exhaustion took hold of him, bringing him to sleep.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 1

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 1

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.6%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Let me know what you think if you'd like, and have a great day!


	15. Gathering Infomation

**5/5 Thursday**

As it was her final day of break, she decided to check and see if Eiko was still up to their study session.

She brought out her phone and texted her.

Makoto: Hey, Eiko, were you still up to studying together?

Eiko: Yeah, sure! We could go to the library you were at before.

Makoto: Sounds good. See you there.

She gathered all of her studying materials, going to meet Eiko at the library.

As soon as she got there, she saw Eiko wave at her at one of the tables.

“Hey, Miss Prez!” Eiko greeted. “How was your little date?”

“I-It wasn’t a date!” she stammered. “But… it was nice. I enjoyed myself.”

“Ooooh, you’ll have to tell me _all_ of the details!” Eiko insisted.

“...Eiko, we’re supposed to be studying.” she pointed out.

“Ok, ok…” Eiko sighed. “I guess we should get stated then.”

They went through all of the material that would be covered on exams for third years.

She quickly noticed that Eiko… was really struggling, to say the least.

“Urghhhhhh… I haaaaate math!” Eiko groaned.

“Eiko… have you done any studying prior to this?” she asked.

“Well… that’s kinda why I wanted your help.” Eiko nervously giggled. “I… haven’t studied at all.”

“Eiko!” You need to study!” she scolded. “Not only are our school exams coming, but there are also entrance exams.”

“Aww, come on, Prez, entrance exams aren’t for, like, forever!” Eiko argued.

She narrowed her eyes.

“Ok, ok, I get it!” Eiko quickly said. “It’s just… I’m really not good at this kinda thing, you know. I wish I was as smart as you or my brother.”

“You have a brother?” she asked.

“Oh, right, I never told you, huh?” Eiko replied. “He’s two years younger than me, but he’s super smart. He’s like, a total prodigy. Super smart and talented at everything he tries. He was actually planning on joining the student council once he becomes a second year.”

“Really? What’s his name?” she asked.

“...Promise you won’t laugh.” Eiko mumbled.

“Why would I laugh?” she asked.

“My brother’s name is Aiko.” Eiko muttered.

“Wait… so you two are…?”

“Yes! We’re Eiko and Aiko, ok!” Eiko groaned. “Our parents weren't exactly creative with names!”

Seeing Eiko’s pout, she couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

“M-Miss Prez!” Eiko whined. “You said that you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I-I’m sorry, Eiko.” she said between laughter. “It’s just that you… the look on your face.”

“Well, you wouldn’t believe all the jokes that people make about us.” Eiko grumbled.

“I can certainly imagine.” she responded, before checking the time. “Ok, that’s a long enough break, we should keep going.”

“Ugh… seriously?” Eiko groaned. “Already?”

“We have a lot of material to cover.” she pointed out.

“I guess so…” Eiko trailed off.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s what I just said. I wish that I was as smart as you or my brother.” Eiko repeated, sighing.

“Eiko…” she whispered. “I know that this is hard, but I didn’t find it easy at first either. That’s why I practiced and practiced until I got better at it. I’m sure if you practice, you’ll get better at it too.”

Eiko didn’t respond, instead just glancing at the ground.

“...Tell you what.” Makoto started. “After exams are over with, I’ll treat you to some sweets to celebrate getting through them, ok?”

“...And what if I, like, do really badly?” Eiko asked.

“Then I’ll treat you anyway, and let you know that’s ok.” Makoto offered. “As long as you did your best.”

Eiko’s eyes widened. “R-Really? E-Even if I fail?”

She nodded. “Of course. We’re friends after all, right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Eiko stammered.

“Is everything ok?” she wondered.

“More than ok!” Eiko chirped. “I’m, like, feeling totally great right now, thanks to you!”

“Well, I’m happy that I could help.” she smiled.

Eiko gave her a toothy grin, showing how grateful she was...

**FAITH CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

The girls continued studying for a while before she had to go home.

As she got home, she checked her phone, seeing she had a few texts.

Naoya: Yusuke said that he was interested. He said he’d be willing to meet you on the 8th.

She quickly texted him back.

Makoto: I’ll get back to you tomorrow.

She still needed to see if Takayo had gotten any information on Madarame.

Her phone buzzed, and she saw that she had a text from Sae.

Sae: Having dinner with a colleague. I’ll be back late.

“She’s not home very often, is she?” Morgana commented.

“Her job keeps her very busy.” she told the not-cat. “But I’m glad that she’s spending time with her colleagues.”

She prepared a small dinner for herself and a bowl of milk for Morgana.

“You know… I’m surprised you like milk so much.” she commented. “I heard that most cats are lactose intolerant.”

“I guess that’s just more proof that I’m actually human!” Morgana grinned.

“If you say so.” she giggled.

She glanced around her apartment, seeing that it was starting to get very dusty.

“I really should start dusting.” she mentioned.

“Doing some chores?” Morgana asked.

“Back when dad was still around, he’d be busy with work a lot.” she brought up. “So sis would help out a lot with cooking and cleaning.”

“So now that your sis is the one working, I guess you’re the one working around the house, huh?” Morgana assumed.

“That’s right.” she nodded. “I want to be useful to my sis in any way that I can.”

“Well, just try not to overwork yourself.” Morgana advised. “And make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

She followed Morgana’s advice, heading straight to bed as soon as she finished her dinner and chores.

* * *

**5/6 Friday**

Once again, she found herself sitting across from Takayo in the student council room, having called her down at the beginning of lunch time.

“So, did you find anything?” she asked.

“Of course!” Takayo grinned. “I’m no amateur, you know.”

“What can you tell me about him?” she asked.

“Well, for starters, he’s been an artist pretty much his entire life, but only in his later years did he start to become famous.” Takayo explained. “It started with the Sayuri, which is his most famous painting.”

“The Sayuri, huh…” she mused.

“He’s made a lot of money with his paintings since then.” Takayo continued. “But he still lives in this little wooden shack. Apparently, he prefers the ‘simple life’, but I don’t know.”

“I heard that he had some sort of private security force.” she brought up. “That would certainly be one way he spends his money.”

“Hmm… well, I’ve heard that some of his paintings have been stolen before, so it makes sense that he’d want to have some security…” Takayo trailed off.

“I also heard that he has an apprentice.” she told her.

“Oh yeah, he’s had tons of apprentices.” Takayo brought up. “But there was something that bothered me about that…”

“What was it that bothered you?” she asked.

“He’s had a lot of apprentices over the years, but none of them have ever made any kind of impact on the art world.” Takayo told her. “Most of them actually ended up quitting art.”

“I see… that is very strange.” she admitted. “You would think that they’d still be practicing art if they were trained by a master artist.”

“That’s what I thought too.” Takayo agreed. “So I started looking more into his past apprentices, and… I was pretty surprised at what I found.”

“That doesn’t sound good…” she thought to herself.

“One of them died from an illness, but…” Takayo trailed off.

“But…?” she repeated.

“Well, some of the lucky ones were able to get jobs in fields entirely unrelated to art.” Takayo explained. “Others… well, there were rumors that some apprentices were blacklisted in the art community, and ended up homeless, and one… even committed suicide.”

“Goodness, that’s…” she trailed off, not sure what to say.

“Once or twice could be passed off as a coincidence, but so many of his apprentices failing…” Takayo muttered. “My journalistic instincts were telling me that something fishy was going on… and I think they were right.”

“Did you find anything else?” she asked.

“I had to look _really_ hard to find this. It was buried really deep in the web, on some obscure forum.” Takayo explained. “There was someone who was claiming to be a former apprentice of Madarame’s. He said that Madarame kept his apprentices in awful living conditions, and frequently plagiarized their work.”

“That’s horrible…” she whispered. “But… At the same time, I want to do a bit of investigating myself. I want to validate how true this claim is before we do anything rash.”

“Got it.” Takayo nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Just be careful, ok, Niijima-san?”

“I will.” she assured her.

Before she could leave, however.

“Oh, one more thing!” Takayo quickly said. “I… didn’t really think it was that important, but from what I heard… Ichiryusai Madarame is just a pen name.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah. His real name is Ichitaro Madarame.” Takayo explained. “I’m not sure if that’ll help much, but I did find it mildly interesting.”

“Thank you for all of your help.” she expressed before leaving.

After ending her meeting with Takayo, she texted Naoya.

Makoto: I’ve decided that I want to be Yusuke’s muse.

About a half an hour later, he gave a response, as well as a picture of what he looked like.

Naoya: I just talked to him. He said that he wanted to meet with you at the underground walkway in Shibuya on the 8th around noon. Is that ok?

Makoto: That would be fine.

As the bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang, she quickly texted Ren and Ryuji to meet her after school before quickly rushing off to class.

* * *

“So, what did you wanna talk about, Prez?” Ryuji asked.

“I wanted to discuss our latest target.” she informed them.

“So, we goin’ after that Madarame guy?” Ryuji asked.

“That’s right.” she confirmed. “I managed to get in touch with an apprentice of his, and I’m going to be meeting with him on the Shibuya underground walkway on Sunday at noon.”

“I’ll be free then.” Ren told her. “I could go with you.”

“Yeah, me too.” Ryuji offered.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” she smiled. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get some information out of this.”

“Man, I’m getting pumped just thinking about this!” Ryuji grinned.

“Then I’ll meet both of you on the 8th then.” she said.

They ended their little meeting, and she headed home for the day.

“Say, didn’t you pick up some manga at the library?” Morgana asked. “You ought to read them before you have to bring them back.”

“You’re right… and I suppose I do have time right now.” she admitted.

She sat down, the battle manga in her hands as Morgana curled up in her lap.

She turned to the first page of the manga, hoping that she would enjoy it…

* * *

With every turn of the page, with every panel, with every word… her fists gripped onto the manga hade and harder.

She was completely engrossed in what she was reading.

The way that the kind-hearted protagonist valiantly defended the innocent and fought for justice, even in a post-apocalyptic world endeared them to her and made her wish for their success.

The fact that they used martial arts to defeat their foes didn’t hurt.

“You, uh… are really getting into this, huh?” Morgana muttered.

“I-I’m a little surprised myself.” she admitted. “But I really do like it. I’ll have to grab the next volume soon. I might even be able to emulate some of the techniques here in the Metaverse.”

“That’s certainly possible.” Morgana said.

“All the more reason to keep reading.” she smiled.

“Just don’t stay up too long reading it!” Morgana advised. “It’s important that you get plenty of sleep!”

“Time for... a catnap, then.” she smirked.

Morgana groaned. “You’ve been spending way too much time around Ren…”

She let out a small giggle before putting aside her manga and heading to bed.

* * *

**5/7 Saturday**

After school had ended for the day, she checked her phone, seeing that she had received a text from Sojiro, or Boss.

...Which, she realized, was her _actual_ Boss now.

Sojiro: There are a lot of customers coming in today. Think you could stop by and help out?

She quickly responded yes, hopeful that the money she would make from working at Leblanc would help fund their latest operations as Phantom Thieves.

She quickly arrived at Leblanc, greeting Sojiro and Ren before putting on her apron.

“Were there a lot of customers before I arrived?” she asked.

“Nah, not that many.” Ren said. “But the dinner rush is coming, so I guess Boss wanted to be prepared. And also…”

“Also what?”

“There was this suspicious man who came here earlier.” Ren recalled. “He’d never been here before, but he seemed to know Boss.”

“Did Boss tell you who he was?” she asked.

“No, he didn’t.” Ren shook his head. “He didn’t want to talk about it.”

Before she could inquire further, Sojiro walked up to them.

“All right, since you’ll be working here, we’ll have to hammer home some of the basics…” Sojiro told her.

“You mean… making coffee, right?” she asked.

“Not just the coffee… desserts too.” Sojiro pointed out.

“Oh, right.” she nodded. “Thank you for teaching me, Boss. I would really like to learn how to make coffee and desserts.

She was a decent cook, but Sae wasn’t a fan of sweets, and she would usually just have instant coffee, so her knowledge on making those things was limited.

“Of course.” Sojiro grinned. “No employee of mine’s going to be serving a bad cup of coffee.”

He proceeded to walk her through the basics of making coffee and the desserts on the menu. As the dinner rush started, she once again diligently took the orders of all the customers, while trying to pay attention to Sojiro’s cooking and customer service skills.

As it came time for Leblanc to close for the day, she hung up her apron and let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks for the help. Here’s your pay.” Sojiro said.

“I noticed that you seemed to know a lot about some of the customers.” she pointed out. “Were they regulars?”

“They were. Another thing that you need to be aware of is the personality of regular customers to keep them coming back. It’s really important in food service.” Sojiro explained. “Speaking of which…”

“Hmm?”

“This doesn’t really have anything to do with your job, but… I was wondering if you could tell me what girls your age like.” Sojiro muttered.

That… was an odd question for him to ask.

“Why do you ask?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s for my…err, well, my friend’s daughter.” Sojiro said. “I was going to get her a gift, but I wasn’t sure what I should get. She’s a few years younger than you, but I was hoping you’d have an idea of what I could get her.”

“Oh, I see. Well, do you know what she likes?” Makoto asked.

“Well, she’s got a lot of books on… technical stuff. Computers and science.” Sojiro told her. “But she’s also really into anime and manga and all of that. I don’t really keep up with any of that, though.”

“Not able to keep up with the youth of today, Boss?” Ren smirked.

“Quiet, punk.” Boss scoffed.

“Well… recently I’ve been into Shonen manga.” she told him. “Maybe you could look into that? There’s a focus on fighting, action, adventure… things like that.”

“Mmm... Yeah, I think she’d like that.” Sojiro told her. “Thanks. I’ll, uh… try and take a look then. Now, as for the coffee...”

She could feel the elder man’s gratitude as he instructed her in the basics of brewing.

**HIEROPHANT: RANK 2**

After finishing her shift at Leblanc, she headed home for the day.

* * *

**5/8 Sunday**

“Is this guy comin’ or what?” Ryuji groaned.

“He should be here any minute now.” she told him.

“We’ve already been waiting for ten minutes.” Ryuji muttered.

“Does he know what you look like?” Ren asked.

“I do, and I’m sure that Makigami-kun described what I look like to him.” she told them.

“It’ll be a little hard to find anyone in this crowd.” Morgana brought up. “Maybe we should split up?”

Before she could respond, she felt someone grab her shoulder, causing her to whip around, ready to fight if she had to, her fists at the ready.

Before her stood a tall, blue-haired boy who seemed to be staring at her.

She noticed that his frame was gangly and skinny, almost unnaturally so...

His fingers were held out in a sort of framing motion in front of her.

“Who’s this weirdo?” Ryuji muttered.

“Can I… help you with anything?” she asked.

“You are… Makoto Niijima, yes?” the blue haired boy asked.

She quickly relaxed her fighting stance. “Wait… are you Yusuke Kitagawa?”

“I am.” Yusuke nodded. “You said that you wished to model for me?”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Yusuke continued to look her over, as if appraising a piece of art.

“Um… so, do you accept?” Ren asked.

Yusuke ignored them, continuing to look her over for a few moments before letting out a smile.

“Yes, you will do nicely.” Yusuke smiled. “You will make for a wonderful muse.”

“Then… you’ll accept?” she asked.

“Of course.” Yusuke nodded. “All of my art lately has been lacking, but with you, perhaps I could truly express my passion for art on the canvas.”

“He’s… certainly an interesting character, isn’t he?” Morgana muttered.

“Will you cooperate with me?” Yusuke pleaded.

“O-Of course.” she stammered. “I’d be happy to help you.”

“Excellent.” Yusuke smiled. “However, it’ll have to wait a bit. I’m very busy preparing for the exhibition.”

“Exhibition?” Ryuji repeated.

“My sensei is having an art exhibition starting tomorrow.” Yusuke explained. “I’ll be spending most of today and tomorrow helping to set everything up.”

“Your sensei is Ichiryusai Madarame, right?” she asked. “I have to admit, I’m a big fan of his work.”

To be honest, she wasn’t very familiar with Madarame’s art at all, but she hoped at least that he would buy her act.

“I see. Which of his pieces is your favorite?” he asked.

“Well… maybe it’s a bit cliche, but I’m very fond of the Sayuri.” she confessed, recalling the only painting she knew Madarame made.

“What a wonderful coincidence. I’m rather fond of it as well.” Yusuke admitted. “It’s my main inspiration as an artist, in fact.”

Yusuke reached into his pocket, pulling out what appeared to be an invitation.

“This is a ticket to my sensei’s exhibit. It will take place at the department store near the station.” Yusuke explained, handing the ticket to her. “I would appreciate it if you would attend.”

He expression turned neutral as he glanced at Ren and Ryuji.

“I doubt that you two have any interest in the fine arts, but I’ll give you these anyway.” Yusuke scoffed, handing them each a ticket.

“I hope to see you there, Niijima-san.” Yusuke said, before walking off.

“What a sketchy guy…” Ryuji muttered as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Well, I guess you have to be sketchy to be an artist.” Ren joked.

“That ain’t what I meant, man.” Ryuji sighed.

“So, are we going to that exhibition?” Morgana asked.

“It’ll be good for gathering information, at least.” she reasoned.

“I thought we’d be doing the whole modeling thing today.” Ren said. “Guess we’ve got some time to kill before we meet up tomorrow.”

“Well, it sounds like the perfect opportunity to get some last minute studying in.” Makoto mentioned.

“Oh, um, that reminds me.” Ryuji quickly said. “I have to go and um, uhh…”

“Oh no you don’t!” Makoto quickly said. “I’ve seen your grades, Ryuji. You’re going to study with us.”

Ryuji quickly turned to Ren, a pleading look in his eyes.

“Sorry, Ryuji. Queen’s orders.” Ren chuckled.

“Traitorrrrrrrrr!” Ryuji yelled as she dragged him off to study.

* * *

“So, you struck a deal with Madarame’s pupil.” Sae said. “And from there, I assume you were able to uncover the truth about his actions.”

“That’s right.” she nodded.

“But why did you get involved?” Sae asked. “Unlike with Kamoshida, you and your friends weren’t involved with him at all. So why did you bother?”

“I just… didn’t think it was fair.” she whispered. “It wasn’t fair that people like him could get away with what he did…”

“Life isn’t fair or just.” Sae responded, dismissing her. “We just have to deal with what it throws at us. We can’t just do whatever we want.”

She narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, instead continuing on with the story.

“Anyway, I wanted to speak about the principal for a bit.” she said.

“So early?” Sae asked.

“It was around this time that the principal started ordering me to look into the Phantom Thieves.” she recalled.

“That’s… very irresponsible of him.” Sae replied. “If you weren't a member, they could have gone after you. They could have… killed you, even. What on Earth was he thinking?!”

“He essentially told me that he wouldn’t give me a letter of recommendation unless I discovered their identities.” she told her. “And that it would reflect poorly on you if I failed.”

*SLAM*

Sae slammed the table in a fit of rage, causing her ears to ring.

“That bastard!” Sae snapped. “Makoto, why didn’t you tell me that the principal was blackmailing you?!” Sae yelled. “I could have helped you!”

“... I needed to keep him off of my tail, so I pretended to be on his side.” she muttered.

“Then it was because you were actually a Phantom Thief.” Sae noted.

“Yes… but to be honest, I probably would have agreed even if I wasn’t.” she said.

“What?! Why?!” Sae demanded.

“Never question superiors. Always do what they ask you to do.” she said. “Before I joined the Phantom Thieves, I was naive enough to think that authority figures always had the best intentions for me and everyone else…”

She looked Sae straight in the eyes.

“...But now I realize that that’s not always the case. Some of them are corrupt.”

“Even so… you could have gone to me for help.” Sae countered. “I could have gotten you out of that situation. What he was doing isn’t fair to you.”

“I thought life wasn’t fair?” she replied.

Sae’s expression grew annoyed as her own words were thrown back at her. “Listen-”

“Perhaps I didn’t want to burden you, Prosecutor Niijima.” she replied, her tone cold. “It would have been a shame if I ate away at your life even more than I already did by making you bail me out of trouble, right?”

“Y-You… why are you speaking like this?” Sae muttered. “It must be that thing they injected you with. You wouldn’t be talking to me like this otherwise.”

“What, you mean the truth serum?” she spat.

Sae didn’t respond.

“This drug… it just lowers the inhibitors that could have stopped me from speaking my mind.” she muttered.

“...Then this has been what’s on your mind for so long.” Sae realized. “I… never realized. If I had, then maybe you wouldn’t have felt the need to join…”

“There’s no point in wondering about what ifs.” she pointed out. “We should move on.”

“...I suppose you’re right.” Sae admitted. “So, what happened at the art exhibition?”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.7%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something to note:  
> \- If you're curious as to why Madarame has an actual name and a pen name, it's something that was taken from the unused content of P5R. There will be a bit more to do with that later.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and have a great day!


	16. Museum of Vanity

**5/9 Monday**

“Geez, this place is crowded!” Ryuji observed.

They had arrived at the art exhibition, only to find at least a hundred other people gazing at the large art gallery.

“I’m not exactly an expert on art, but I think these paintings do look pretty nice.” Ren added.

“I just wonder where Yusuke is.” Morgana muttered.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long for Yusuke to find them himself.

“You came!” Yusuke said excitedly to her.

...Before turning towards the other and frowning.

“Oh. You two came as well.” Yusuke muttered.

“If you didn’t want us to come you shouldn’t have given us tickets!” Ryuji snapped.

“Just make sure you don’t disturb the other guests.” Yusuke ordered, before turning to her with a smile. “Now, Niijima-san, I’d love to show you around and discuss my painting in more detail.”

“Oh, thank you.” she expressed. “I’d love to learn more about Madarame and his paintings.”

“Of course.” Yusuke smiled. “Follow me.”

As the two of them (and Morgana) walked off, Ryuji let out a loud groan.

“Urgh, do we really need to appreciate the ‘fine arts’?” Ryuji asked. “Can’t we just go home?”

“We still need to learn about Madarame.” Ren reminded him.

“I guess…” Ryuji sighed as the two of them started touring the gallery.

It wasn't long until they saw an old, robed man giving an interview.

“That must be our guy.” Ryuji grinned.

“You have such a wide variety of styles.” the interviewer gushed. “It’s hard to believe that it all comes from one person. Where does all of your inspiration come from.”

“Hmm… how to put this into words?” the old man wondered. “I would say… that they well up from within my heart, like bubbles rising on after another in the spring.”

“Gimme a break.” Ryuji scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“What’s important is that I distance myself from such worldly desires such as money and fame. My atelier is but a modest shack, but it is enough to pursue true beauty.”

“Still had enough money for private security.” Ren muttered.

“Yeah… and if didn’t care for fame, he sure wouldn’t be doin’ interviews and hosting an art gallery.” Ryuji muttered.

“I see… emptying your mind of worldly desires is the key. But I didn’t expect you to describe your own atelier as a shack!” the interview giggled.

Seeing a crowd of people swarming towards Madarame, Ren quickly pulled Ryuji aside, the two of them walking towards the exit.

“Damn, there are way too many people here.” Ryuji muttered. “There’s no way we’ll be finding anything now!”

“Hopefully Makoto has some better luck.”

* * *

“Incredible… Madarame really mastered all these styles?” Makoto asked.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Yusuke asked. “Most artists, even master artists, focus on only one style, but Madarame is able to master and create art of all these styles.”

Although she wasn’t exactly an expert on art, she found that… unusual.

“Ah, Yusuke, there you are.”

The two teens turned around, seeing Madarame approaching them.

“Sensei!” Yusuke greeted. “This is the muse I told you about. I was showing her around.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” she greeted, maintaining her manners despite her suspicions.

“Ah, you must be Niijima-san!” Madarame smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Are you enjoying the exhibit?”

“Immensely so, sir.” she answered. “There’s such a wide variety of artwork, and yet it’s all so… well, it’s impossible to describe it in just one word.”

“That you find enjoyment in my paintings fills me with satisfaction.” Madarame smiled. “Oh, but I don’t mean to interrupt your little tour. Please, excuse me.”

“He’s quite friendly, isn’t he.” she said as he walked off.

“Indeed.” Yusuke agreed.

As they continued their tour, she stopped in front of one painting, the bright red and orange colors catching her eye. On future inspection, she saw greens on the side, and blue beneath the red and orange.

What was it? A forest fire? The dawn of a new day? She wasn’t sure, but…

“This painting… the colors feel… wild, uncontrollable. Was the painter… angry? Frustrated?” she thought aloud.

“Ah… that painting…” Yusuke grimaced.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“... Don’t mind me.” Yusuke muttered. “C-Come, follow me. There are… much better pieces than this one.”

She certainly found his behavior odd. Almost as if he didn’t want her looking at the painting…

Making sure no one was looking, she quickly snapped a photo of the painting on her phone before following Yusuke.

* * *

As she left, she saw Ren and Ryuji right outside.

“You find anything out?” Ren asked.

“Not much.” she admitted. “Yusuke really didn’t want me to look at this painting though.”

She showed them the photo.

“Why didn’t he want you to see it?” Ren asked.

“I don’t know.” she said. “But it might be important.

“What did you two find?” Morgana asked.

“We saw Madarame conducting an interview.” Ren said. “He said that he wanted to stay away from fame and fortune, but he had that private security, and he’s holding this big event and giving interviews.”

“That is odd, but we still don’t have much to go on…” she sighed.

“Wait, hang on, I remembered something!” Ryuji yelled, pulling out his phone. “I was looking through the Phan-Site earlier, and I found this request.”

He showed them his phone, and the anonymous request on it.

_A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil’s work. He acts humble on TV, but it’s all an act. He treats his pupils awfully. He doesn’t teach. He only bosses them around. He doesn’t even treat them like they’re human._

“Abuse and plagiarism, hm?” Morgana commented.

“I did find it a little strange that he had mastered so many different styles.” Ren said.

“This has to be talkin’ about Madarame!” Ryuji claimed. “Man, talk about a huge scandal!”

“Could Kitagawa-kun have posted this?” Ren asked.

“Maybe, but Madarame’s had plenty of pupils.” she brought up. “I suppose that we’ll just have to see what Yusuke has to say about this.”

“So you’re going through with the modeling?” Ren asked.

She nodded. “He lives at Madarame’s atelier. He gave me the address, and his cellphone number.”

“So, we’ll all meet up there after school!” Ryuji grinned.

After finalizing their plan, they went their separate ways for the day.

* * *

**5/10 Tuesday**

“Oh come on! The train’s even more crowded than the gallery!” Ryuji complained.

The train had been completely packed today, and Ryuji had been the only one able to snag a seat, while Ren and herself had to deal with the crowd pushing them around.

“Well, hopefully we’ll get to our destination so-AH!”

The train had grown even more crowded, causing someone to bump into Ren, causing him to collide into Makoto.

“A-AH!” she cried, her back pressing into the wall of the train.

Before she knew what was going on, she realized that her and Ren’s bodies were pressed together, their faces inches apart.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Ren panicked. “I-I can’t move at all!”

“I-It’s ok.” she muttered. “L-Let me just try…”

She tried to adjust herself, slowly turning around and trying to free up some space for the two of them…

Only for someone to bump into Ren again, making him press into her back.

“A-Ah!”

She let out a gasp as he was pushed into her harder.

“S-Sorry.” Ren repeated. “S-So sorry…”

“I-It’s f-fine.” she assured him. “I-I-It’s not your fault.”

Ren looked around the train, trying to find any space for him to move to.

“Um… Ren?”

“Y-Yeah, Makoto?”

“R-Ren, could you empty your pockets?”

“W-What?! M-My pockets are empty!”

“T-Then what’s poking me?”

Ren gulped.

“Shit… Ok. don’t think about Makoto… think of old people! Like Sojiro!” Ren rapidly thought.

“Hoooooooo boy.” Sojiro echoed in his head.

“DAMN IT! IT’S NOT WORKING!” Ren screamed in his head. “Ok… maybe… think of food instead. Like curry or...”

He glanced at Ryuji, completely obvious to their situation, his attention fully focused on the hot dog he was eating.

“That’s right, Ren. Think about the hot dog.” he encouraged himself. “Think of the long, thick meat in between two… soft…buns…

Long, thick meat.

Between two… soft… buns.

“R-Ren, are you sure your pockets are empty?!”

“T-They are, I swear!”

Thankfully, the train ride ended soon afterwards, allowing them to escape their awkward situation.

“Well, that was, uh… a very pressing situation, huh?” Ren nervously chucked.

“Y-Yeah…” she whispered.

Why on Earth was her heart beating so fast? She hoped that she wasn’t getting sick.

“I-I’m still really, really, sorry.” he insisted.

“Ren, really, it’s fine.” she stressed. “I trust you.”

“T-Thanks…” Ren trailed off.

“Hey, what’s up with you two?” Ryuji wondered. “Ain’t we goin’ to that shack?”

“Oh, right!” she recalled. “Just follow me.”

She led them all to Madarame’s shack, ringing the bell.

“Who is it?” Yusuke asked from inside. “If you’re looking for my Sensei, Madarame is currently busy.”

“It’s me, Makoto Niijima.” she greeted.

“I’ll be right out!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“Geez, he’s really excited about this.” Ren muttered.

They heard the sound of something rushing on the other side of the door.

“Niijima-san!” Yusuke greeted. “I wasn't expecting you so soon.”

“There… was something that I wanted to discuss with you.” she confessed.

“About the modeling?” Yusuke asked.

“We ain't here about the modeling.” Ryuji said. “We heard that Madarame’s been abusing and plagiarizing his students. That true?”

She let out a wince. That wasn't subtle at all.

“What did you say?” Yusuke muttered, narrowing his eyes.

“We read about it online.” Ryuji told him, showing his phone.

Yusuke glanced at the phone for a few moments, shaking his head before bursting into a dramatic fit of laughter.

“Preposterous!” Yusuke declared. “Not only is the claim of plagiarism outrageous, but abuse as well?! Sensei welcomes his students into his own home! That is not abuse!”

Ryuji frowned. “Yeah, but-”

“I am the one who’s living under his roof and studying under him!” Yusuke shouted. “And I say none of that is happening!”

“Well maybe you’re lying!” Ryuji claimed.

“Ryuji!” Ren hissed.

“I had no family when Sensei took me in. If you continue to insult and slander the man I owe my life to, you will rue this day!”

“Thankfully, before an altercation could start, Madarame approached them from inside the shack.

“What’s wrong, Yusuke? I heard shouting.”

“These people were slandering you with baseless rumors!” Yusuke yelled.

“You must forgive them, Yusuke.” Madarame told him. “They must have heard some concerning rumors, and were worried about their friend’s safety.”

“...Understood, sensei.” Yusuke relented.

“I do have to ask that you keep things down.” Madarame requested. “I do have neighbors around.”

As Madarame went back into his shack, Yusuke gave a small bow.

“I apologize. That was… discourteous of me.” Yusuke said.

“No, no, I understand.” she said. “Hopefully we can put this whole thing behind us.”

“Wait, for real?!” Ryuji asked, only for Ren to quickly calm him down.

“It’s just… it’s impossible for the artist that created the Sayuri to have done something so horrible.

“The Sayuri?” Ren asked.

Yusuke pulled out his phone, showing a picture of the painting to them.

It was actually her first time seeing the Sayuri, and it certainly was impressive.

It was a simple painting of an elegant looking woman, but the lower half of the painting seemed to be obscured, giving it an air of mystery.

“That’s incredible…” Ren whispered.

“I ain’t really an expert of fine arts, but even I can tell this is amazing…” Ryuji added.

“Niijima-san, I believe that painting you will allow me to express the same passion that my sensei expressed when he painted the Saiyuri.” Yusuke told her. “Please, consider my offer.”

“I have exams for the next few days.” she informed him. “But after my exams are over, I’d still like to be your muse.”

“Thank you.” Yusuke smiled. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

As Yusuke went back inside, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“They didn’t seem like bad people.” she whispered.

“Maybe… those two thieves were talkin’ about another Madarame.” Ryuji guessed.

“They were laid off.” Morgana brought up. “It’s possible that they’re biased.”

“... Hang on.” Ren said. “What about the MetaNav?”

“Oh, that’s a good point.” she realized. “Let’s enter in his name.”

Ren did just that, entering Madarame’s full name into the MetaNav.”

Match not found.

“Huh… guess we were wrong then.” Ren shrugged.

Just when they were about to give up, however, she recalled something Takayo had told her.

“Hold on… Ren, what did you enter?” she asked.

“Ichiryusai Madarame.” Ren said. “Don’t think I made a typo.”

“Can you… try to enter Ichitaro Madarame?” she asked.

Ryuji looked confused, while Morgana’s eyes widened in realization.

“Oh, of course!” Morgana exclaimed.

Ren seemed confused, but went along with her request.

Match Found.

“Seriously?” Ren gasped.

“I didn’t think it would end up being important, but apparently, Ichitaro is his real name. Ichiryusai is just a pen name, I suppose.”

“So, there is a match!” Morgana yelled. “But what about the keywords?”

“Well, we need the location, right?” Ren asked. “Sooo…. His atelier?”

No candidates found.

“Wait, he called it a shack, right?” Ryuji said.

A small ding from Ren’s phone alerted them.

“Looks like that’s it!” Morgana cheered. “Now, just one more. What does he see this world as?

“It’s probably something to do with art, so… a gallery?” Ryuji guessed.

“Or an exhibit?” Ren added.

No candidate found.

“Then… an art museum?” she guessed.

Beginning Navigation.

“W-Woah, you got it.” Ryuji gasped.

“Get ready everyone.” she ordered.

Once again, they found themselves getting sucked into the other world…

* * *

No longer were they in front of an old, dingy shack, but instead, a tall, golden museum stood before them.”

In front of the museum stood several golden statues of Madarame, and a large line of people waiting to get inside.

“Well, it’s fancy… if a bit gaudy.” Ren commented.

“Holy shit… the shack transformed into this?!” Ryuji gasped.

“This is just how his palace manifests, like with Kamoshida.” Morgana explained.

“So, um… is this another one of those castle places?” Skull asked.

“That’s palace, bonehead.” Mona jeered.

“I don’t know guys, it looks more like a museum to me.” Joker smirked.

“Smartass…” Mona grumbled.

As she looked for a way to get inside, she saw the twins beckoning her over.

“Hey inmate!” Caroline yelled. “Get over here! We have a job for you!”

Somewhat reluctantly, she walked over to the Velvet Room.

...Only for Caroline to kick her inside.

“Was that really necessary?” she groaned.

“You were going too slow, inmate!” Caroline snapped.

“We have a very important task for you.” Justine told her.

“A… task?” she repeated.

“In order to develop your skills, we’ve assigned various tasks involving training and fusing Personas.” Justine explained.

“Your first task is to get us a Jack Frost with Mabufu.” Caroline commanded. “That should be easy even for you, inmate!”

“Wait… Jack Frost?” she questioned. “You mean that mascot character?”

“Mascot character?” Justine repeated.

“What are you talking about?!” Caroline explained.

“Jack Frost is really popular in, um… the outside world.” she told them. “He has figures, plushies, keychains, toys, and tons of other merchandise.”

Justine and Caroline stared at her with wide eyes before whispering amongst themselves.

This went on for about a minute before they both turned to face her.

“New plan, inmate!” Caroline declared. “After you bring us the Jack Frost, you’re going to bring us somewhere that sells this merchandise.

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you…”

“It’s not because I want one or anything, inmate!” Caroline quickly denied. “I just wanted to see how closely they match the Jack Frosts in the Metaverse.”

“Then the two of you can come outside into the real world?” she asked.

“That is correct.” Justine nodded.

She turned towards Igor. “Then, would you mind if I borrowed them for that in the future?”

“Not at all.” Igor chuckled. “I told you to build up your bonds, did I not?”

“I see… well, I’ll look for a Jack Frost in the palace, then.” she promised. “In the meantime, are there any fusions I can perform?”

* * *

It looked like Queen had gone into that ‘Velvet Room' or whatever. Trying to fill the void of silence, he tried to strike up a conversation with Skull.

“Say… Skull?” Joker muttered.

“Yeah, Joker?”

“Do you think… Kitagawa… likes Ma-er, Queen?” he asked.

“Huh? Where’d that come from?” Skull wondered.

“It’s just… he seemed really enthusiastic to paint her and show her around the gallery.” Ren said.

“Yeah, I guess so…” Ryuji shrugged. “I just think that’s him bein’ a weird artist or whatever. He probably only likes her as a muse or whatever.”

“...Yeah. That must be it.” Joker whispered.

“Why are you so curious about whether he likes her?” Ryuji wondered.

“Well… honestly, I don’t know.” Joker shrugged. “I’ve just… been having a weird feeling lately.”

“You’re probably just worried that he’ll try somethin’ strange with her.” Ryuji said. “We just dealt with Kamoshida, so I get it. But that’s why we’re comin’ with her to the modeling thing.”

“...Yeah. That… must be the reason.” Ren nodded. “That must be why…”

Makoto approached them then, trying to find a way around into the museum without standing in line.

“We can climb the walls and enter the museum from the roof.” she told them.

“Sounds like a plan.” Morgana nodded.

They deftly made their way over the walls and onto the roof, entering through an open skylight.

“It’s really quiet in here…” Ryuji muttered.

“What now, Queen?” Ren asked.

“I…”

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“I just… I don’t know.” she muttered. “I’m still worried that Madarame might not be a bad person. He seemed like such a nice and humble person, and his own apprentice had nothing but good things to say about him.”

“I get it. You’re worried that we might be going after an innocent person.” Ren assumed.

“Yes… I just want to be cautious… we have such strong powers, but we need to make sure it doesn’t go to our heads.” she admitted.

“Well… having a palace doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve committed any crimes yet...” Mona said.

“So all we gotta do is find evidence, right?” Ryuji asked. “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

Ryuji rushed ahead, leaving them behind.

“Skull, wait!” Makoto yelled, running after him.

It didn’t take long for all of them to catch up to Ryuji, who had stopped in front of a painting.

“What the hell is this?” Skull gasped.

In front of them was a portrait of a woman with a black X over the woman in the portrait.

“Why is this person crossed out?” Ren wondered.

“I’m not sure… but now that I look at it closely, it sort of looks like the Sayuri.” she noted.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mona agreed. “I wonder why that is?”

“It looks like it’s got a name under it.” Makoto noticed. “Yua… Kitagawa?!”

“Kitagawa?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Is this woman related to that Yusuke guy?!”

“She might be…” Ren muttered. “But it looks like she's not the only painting here.”

Sure enough, there was an entire wall of paintings, each depicting a different person with a black X through them.

They eventually reached the end, spying a familiar face.

“This portrait… it's Kitagawa-kun?!” she gasped.

Sure enough, Yusuke’s full name was printed below the painting itself.

“He’s the only one without an X through his portrait.” Morgana pointed out.

“That's true… but what does that mean?” she wondered.

“You think that all of these people were once Madarame’s apprentices?” Joker asked.

“Maybe… let's see if there's anything else we can find.” Queen ordered.

They passed by several pieces in the museum, each one going one about the piece, and praising Madarame for creating it. And in a giant circular room, they saw a golden statue of Madarame wearing simple robes and a shepherd's crook, with a plaque describing the piece.

She knelt down, reading the plaque out loud to the others.

_A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds._

_Little lost lambs, come to me, and I shall guide you._

_Sacrifice your lives, your talent, your everything to me, so that I might achieve even greater heights._

_Those who do not fulfill their duty to their master shall be cast aside._

“This… has to be about the plagiarism…” she muttered.

“He wants his own students to sacrifice everything to him?!” Skull snarled. “That’s effed’ up!

“He exhausts his students for all they’re worth, and then tosses them aside.” Joker frowned.

“So those pictures… they must be the students Madarame’s already discarded.” Mona said, narrowing his eyes. “And if we don’t hurry, Yusuke will get led astray too!”

“He had to have already done somethin’!” Skull exclaimed. “Why didn’t Yusuke say anything?!”

“He said that Madarame was the one who took him in… he must consider Madarame to be family.” Queen whispered. “And… when it’s someone who’s taken care of you like that, you might feel the need to defend them, even if they don’t always treat you right…”

A concerned look crossed Morgana’s face. “Hey, Queen-”

“We should keep going!” she suddenly said.

“Shouldn't we confirm this with Yusuke first?” Morgana asked.

“We won’t be seeing him for a few days.” she argued. “We should make progress while we can.”

“I suppose.” Morgana relented, following her lead.

* * *

Thankfully, the palace security was very light, allowing them to sneak by while only fighting a small number of guards that helped to increase her stock of persona further.

They soon reached a room with several expensive looking artifacts on display.

“Ooooh, look how shiny they all are!” Morgana yelled, a gleam in his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ll just pass by them?! Don’t you think they’d sell for a lot?!”

Mona jumped up to a shiny vase in the middle of the room… which instantly set off an alarm, surrounding the vase with red lasers.

Instinctively, she jumped backwards, avoiding getting trapped by the lasers.

She saw that Ren tried to do a fancy flip out of the way… only to trip on his coat and fall…

“Ok… that seemed a lot cooler in my head.” Ren sighed.

“What a showoff…” Mona scoffed.

“Can it, Mona!” Ryuji snapped. “We wouldn’t even be in this mess if it wasn’t for you!”

“Alright, that’s enough, you guys.” she chided. “I’ll look for a way to free you guys.”

One by one, she freed the others by finding levers that brought down the lasers.

“Thanks for the help, Queen.” Joker grinned. “Can’t say I was expecting that."

“I can’t believe I made such a rookie mistake.” Mona sighed.

“Yeah, what gives?” Ryuji wondered. “You were acting like that when we found Kamoshida’s crown, too.”

“Do you think it has anything with your past?” she asked.

“I think that it must be! That’s why I get so excited around treasure and distorted desires!” Morgana claimed. “Still… we’ll all have to be more careful in the future. This palace has a lot tighter security than we thought.”

“Who’s there?!”

“Speaking of which…” Ren trailed off.

A security guard ran up to them, dissolving into ooze before reforming into…

“FOR REAL?!

“There’s a shadow based on that…?”

“Just what I was looking for!”

Before them stood none other than Jack Frost, the persona the twins had asked her for.

“Hee ho! If you strike me down, my merchandising potential shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!”

“I have just the thing!” she said, ignoring his odd threat. “Jack-O'-Lantern! Agi!”

She flung a fireball at the enemy, knocking it to the ground.

“I don’t want to kill you.” she assured the shadow. “I just want to-”

Jack Frost flung a stone at her, cutting her off.

“You think you're hot shit?!” the shadow said. “Then crush this rock with your bare ha-”

*Crack*

She effortlessly crushed the rock in her hands into dust.

“Any other requests?” she asked.

The shadow stood in stunned silence for a few moments before replying.

“Hee ho! Hee ho! I’m Jack Frost! Hee art ho, ho art hee! I’ll be your hee homeboy from now on!”

She absorbed the power of Jack Frost, gaining a new mask in the process.

“All right, let’s get moving.” she ordered.

“...Remind me to never piss her off.” Skull whispered as they left the room.

* * *

They soon entered another exhibition room, yellow and blue tiles decorating the walls. Inside there were several people walking around. Their bodies were devoid of any color, they had a dazed look in their eyes, and they appeared to be on the brink of starvation.

They all appeared to be working on paintings of a variety of different styles.

“This looks awful…” Mona muttered.

“Hold on… that painting over here looks familiar.” she said, noticing a painting in the middle of the room.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was the same painting that she had seen at the exhibit.”

“This painting… I remember that Kitagawa-kun acted very strange when I saw it at the exhibit.” she brought up.

“Did someone call my name?”

The four thieves turned around, seeing Yusuke standing behind them.

“I was wondering if we’d see a cognitive version of him...” Mona said.

“Kitagawa-kun… did you make this painting?” she asked.

“I did. Why do you ask?” Yusuke wondered.

“Then what’s it doing in Madarame’s gallery?” Skull questioned.

“The student is to always follow the will of their master!” Yusuke declared. “I must give everything to Madarame, so that he will be recognized as the greatest artist in the world."

“He ain't no artist, he’s a damn plagiarist!” Skull snapped.

“You can't let him keep abusing you like this!” Ren exclaimed.

“How dare you!” the cognitive Yusuke roared. “Guards! Remove these intruders!”

An electric fence shot out, blocking their exit, and several security guards ran out to capture them.

“Shit, we need to move!” Skull yelled.

They ran as fast as they could, striking down any security guards they came across. But whenever they took one down, two more took their place. Even if, individually, they were easy to take down, their numbers left them with very little supplies and spells remaining.

“This isn't good…” Joker muttered. “I probably only have about… one or two Eiha spells left…”

“Hey, over there!” Skull yelled. “It's a lever.”

“That just might be our ticket out of here!” Mona exclaimed.

She nodded, pulling the lever, and sure enough, the electric fences came down.

“Ok. We’ll keep going until the next safe room.” she declared. “It should be close.”

“Hmm… I think there's a Will Seed nearby too…” Mona mentioned.

“Then we’ll keep an eye out for them.” she said.

* * *

Sure enough, they quickly stumbled upon one of Madarame’s will seeds.

“You think this will show us his past like with Kamoshida’s will seeds?” Ryuji asked.

“I hope so.” she replied. “We could use any additional insight we can get.”

As soon as she picked up the will seed, she felt the world begin to morph around her.

They found themselves in an exhibition, similar to the one that Madarame was currently holding. At the exhibition was an older man… and a young boy around their age.

“That kid… is that Madarame?!” Morgana gasped.

“Ah… at least I got to take it easy on the last day of the exhibit.” the older man sighed. “Thank you for helping, Ichitaro.”

“Ichitaro… that's Madarame’s actual first name…” she realized.

“There's no need for thanks.” Madarame smiled. “It's my duty as your apprentice, sensei.”

“Speaking of… about what we were talking about beforehand...” the older trailed off. “I have some connections to a man who works in television. When I told him about you, he expressed interest in sponsoring you. Making you famous, even.”

Madarame sighed. “I should just reject their offer.”

“Why? You could make plenty of money with this. This is the type of opportunity that artists dream of!” the man exclaimed.

“I became an artist to make art, not money.” Madarame argued. “That has nothing to do with being a good artist."

“You used to be much more obedient.” his sensei sighed. “You need this opportunity. You’ll never become famous at your current skill level. Right now… you have little to no talent."

Madarame expression quickly became one of rage.

“What?!” Madarame snapped. “I’m your best student! I practice more and produce better results than all the others!”

“Look right here…” his sensei said, directing Madarame's attention to a gorgeous painting in the exhibition. “This was made by someone your age. Do you earnestly believe that you could create something of this caliber?”

Madarame didn't respond.

“You’re still young… there are plenty of ways for you to be marketed to the public. Don't pass up the opportunity to become famous.”

Madarame shook his head. “Making art just for fame and fortune… this isn't what I was taught. It seems that that the knowledgeable and kind sensei I once knew is no more.”

“So, will you just learn by yourself?” his sensei asked. “As good of an artist as I am, I don't know if I would consider myself top-notch.”

“I will!” Madarame declared, his expression brimming with determination. “I will reach the apex of the art world with my own skills!”

The vision ended there, and they found themselves back in the will seed room.

“Looks like Madarame used to be a whole different person.” Skull muttered.

“I wonder what caused him to change…” Morgana wondered.

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon.” she told them. “Let's keep moving.”

* * *

“Aw come on?! Again?!” Ryuji groaned.

Once again, they found their path blocked by more security measures.

Infrared lasers, to be exact.

And this time, there didn't seem to be any levers to bring them down.

“How the hell are we supposed to get past these?!” Skull asked.

“Hey guys, look at this!” Joker said, calling them over.

Joker showed them a sign that told them that the only way of disabling these lasers was in a security room beyond them.

“Then… is there no way through?” Ren wondered.

“I wonder if this has anything to do with Madarame's shack...” Morgana trailed off.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Sometimes, the place that represents our target’s distortion can affect their palace.” Morgana explained. “Maybe… there's a door in Madarame's shack that’s like a real world version of this one.

“So, if we open the door in the real world, it’ll open here?” Ren asked.

“We’d have to have Madarame see that the door is open too!” Morgana explained. “It’ll affect his cognition.”

“Hang on, we don't even know if this door exists!” Skull pointed out.

“That's why we investigate when I act as his muse.” she explained.

“That’ll be the perfect time to look!” Mona grinned. “All right team, let's leave for now.”

They put their infiltration on hold, leaving the palace for the day.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 6.9%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed!


	17. Counselling

**5/11 Wednesday**

She had gone over her supplies one more time. Their last romp through the palace had nearly depleted all of their supplies. So as she walked into school, she made a mental note to restock before making another attempt.

“If only we had a bit more manpower.” Morgana sighed. “Getting through the palaces would be a lot easier with more members.”

“Well, at least we have some time to restock before we meet with Yusuke again.” she mentioned.

She saw a crowd of students gathering around the bulletin board.

“Another assembly? During exam week?”

“Is it about Kamoshida again?”

“What a pain…”

She glanced at the bulletin board, seeing that there was, in fact, an assembly on the 13th.

“Must be very urgent if they’re having it at such an awkward time.” she mused.

She went to her class, easily getting through the exam, none of the problems proving to be a challenge with her studies.

* * *

“You… wanted to see me, sir?”

Ann Takamaki cautiously walked inside of the principal’s office.

“Yes, it’s very urgent.” the principal said. “This is… about Mr. Kamoshida.”

“Oh…”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about the calling card and these ‘Phantom Thieves’, right?” Kobayakawa asked.

“I have…” Ann muttered. “But I don’t really know who’s responsible.”

“Then… Do you have any idea of people who knew about Kamoshida’s… abuses? As principal of this academy, it is duty to keep you all safe, so anyone in the position to do something, but didn’t must be punished.”

She was a little skeptical, and yet, she realized that this might be her only chance…

“I think… Niijima knew.” Ann whispered. “She knew, but… she didn’t do anything. She just let people suffer.”

“I see… that is a very serious accusation.” the principal said. “Do you have any proof of this?”

“W-Well… no, but…” Ann trailed off.

“Well… might I suggest keeping an eye on Niijima-san and her friends?” the principal smiled. “If you happen to find anything suspicious, you could always report it to me.”

“R-Really?” she stammered.

“Of course!” the principal beamed. “I’m willing to do anything I can to make this school a safer environment. With that being said… I was also a bit concerned about the Phantom Thieves.”

“The Phantom Thieves? Why them?” she asked.

If anything, she felt thankful towards the Thieves. She had even felt comfortable enough to send a request on the Phan-Site.

“They have quite a few students concerned. They went after Kamoshida before, but who knows who they’ll go after now. We cannot allow people to enact justice based on their own rules.”

She saw his point, but...

“I don't plan to punish them for the Kamoshida incident, but I should talk to them before this gets out of hand.

That was, of course, a lie. He planned to expel and report them to his superiors, but she didn't need to know that.

“If you happen to find anything out about them, do tell me.” the principal requested.

“Yeah…” Ann trailed off. “Is that all?”

Truth be told, she didn’t trust the tub of lard as far as she could throw him… which, considering that he was, again, a tub of lard, wasn’t very far.

But if there was a chance that she could find the Phantom Thieves, then maybe...

“One more thing.” Kobayakawa told her. “There’s a few specific students I’d like you to keep an eye on…”

* * *

**5/12 Thursday**

“Oooh, we can do this!”

“Oooh, we can do this!”

“Oooh, we can do th-”

“Quiet!” she hissed at Morgana. “They’ll hear you.”

Morgana tucked his head back into her bag, hiding away from the other students.

Once again, she blazed through the exam questions, none of them proving to be a challenge.

As soon as exams finished for the day, she saw Ryuji waiting for her outside of the school gate.

“Hey, Makoto, I just thought of this awesome new move!”

“A… new move?” she repeated.

“Yeah, come here a second!”

Ryuji pulled her aside, away from anyone who could overhear the two of them.

“We were strugglin’ in the palace before, so I came up with an awesome combo move that help out a bunch.” Ryuji bragged.

“Really?!” she gasped. “That sounds amazing! You have to tell me all about it.”

“W-Well… I mean, now that you’re getting all excited…” Ryuji trailed off, sounding a little embarrassed. “It’s… not really that great. It’s just kinda somethin’ that I came up with after I watched some anime. I was… you know, just joking around. We don’t really need to… unless.”

“Ryuji, just tell me.” she requested. “I doubt it’s that bad.”

Ryuji sighed, but relented, telling her about his special move.

“It’s pretty dumb, huh?” Ryuji nervously chuckled. “We can probably just ign-”

“Sounds interesting.” she smiled. “Ok.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d… wait, for real?!” Ryuji yelled.

“It sounded really promising to me.” she said sincerely. “It sounds a bit like manga I was reading myself.”

“Really? What manga?” Ryuji wondered.

She began explaining it to him, a big smirk growing on his face as she did.

“Man, you really are the Fist of the Phantom Star, huh?” Ryuji grinned.

“...I’m never escaping these nicknames, am I?” she sighed.

“So, you really think that my idea was cool?” Ryuji wondered.

“I do.” she nodded. “I think we should try it out.”

Suddenly, a bright light started shining from her backpack.

“Ah! What’s going on?!” Morgana cried.

She quickly reached into her bag, pulling out the object in question.

“This is the star that Jose gave us…” she trailed off.

“Oh! It's like a shooting star, yeah?” Ryuji grinned. “Maybe it's granting our wish to get this awesome move to work!”

“You might be right…” she said, staring at the star as it's light began to fade.

“We gotta try it the next time we’re in the Metaverse!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Aw man, now I’m super hyped!”

She listened to Ryuji go on about their special move for a while before heading home.

* * *

As she approached her apartment, a voice called out to her.

“Hey inmate!”

She whipped around, seeing the twins standing near a velvet room door.

She looked around, seeing that nobody else seemed to notice the door but her.

“What are you waiting for, Inmate?!” Caroline snapped. “Get in here!”

Curious as to what they wanted, she followed their demands, traveling back to the Velvet Room.

“Have you obtained the Persona that we requested from you?” Justine asked.

Right. The Jack Frost with Mabufu…

“I have it with me.” she nodded.

The twins took a moment to look it over, before nodding approvingly.

“You said they have Jack Frost in your world.” Justine recalled. “We would like you to bring us to him.”

“You mean… like in a store?” she asked. “Well… ok.”

She glanced at Igor one more time before, who gave his approval, before exiting the velvet room with the twins.

* * *

“And this is a store!” she told them. “Specifically, a toy store.”

Much like actual young children, the twins were brimming with curiosity, wanting to know about everything that caught their eyes in her world.

“A toy store?” Justine repeated.

“Yes. There are all kinds of different stores that sell various products. This one specializes in toys, like the plushies I told you about.” Makoto explained.

“Show them to us now!” Caroline ordered.

She led them through the aisles until they reached the section where the familiar mascot was.

“W-What the?!” Caroline gasped. “You turned Jack Frost into some plush toy?!”

“N-No, it’s not the real Jack Frost!” she exclaimed. “It’s just a plush that someone made. It’s completely fake!”

The twins looked at the toy again, frowning when they saw that it currently lay on the top shelf.

“Justine! It’s time!” Caroline cried.

“What are they planning?” Makoto thought

“Caroline. Commence Tower Formation!” Justine ordered

“I’m on it!”

Caroline climbed atop Justine’s shoulders, trying to reach the top shelf.

Oh. That’s what they were planning.

She effortlessly grabbed the plush and handed it to the twins.

“We didn’t need any help, inmate!” Caroline snapped.

The twins attempted to take the plushie out of the store, so she quickly ran to stop them.

“W-Wait!” she stammered. “You can’t just take it out of the store! You need to pay for it!”

“Pay? What do you mean?” Justine wondered.

“Things in a store cost money.” she told the wardens. “You need money in order to buy them.”

“So, you take the mythological creatures and gods of various cultures throughout history, and find a way to profit from them.” Justine observed.

“You humans sure are greedy!” Caroline smirked.

The twins continued staring at the plush toy in their hands.

“Do you… want me to buy it for you?” she asked.

“W-Were not children, inmate!” Caroline snapped. “We don’t care about toys!”

“We simply require it for… research purposes.” Justine excused.

“...If you say so.” she said, trying to hide her amusement.

She bought the plush toy for the two girls, and the three of them returned to the entrance of the Velvet Room.

“This has been quite the valuable experience.” Justine smiled.

“You need to bring us other places to, inmate!” Caroline ordered. “After you finish our other assignments, that is!”

As the twins began instructing her on the next Persona that they wanted her to bring them, she felt the voice whisper to her again… she still wondered who they were…

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Strength** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**STRENGTH CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

After the twins finished instructing her, she headed home for the day, hoping to relax after a long day of exams.

* * *

**5/13 Friday**

Exams once again passed by without issue, but instead of going home afterwards, she had to go to the assembly instead.

She found a spot amongst the crowd, watching the principal stand up on the podium, clearing his throat.

“Due to recent events, many of you have voiced concerns that I simply can’t bear to ignore!” Kobayakawa began. “We believe that the mental health of our student body is of the utmost importance, so we’ve acquired the services of a therapist.

That caught her attention. While she doubted it was with the best of intentions, having a therapist at the school would certainly be helpful.

“The floor is yours, Doctor.” the principal said before stepping away from the mic.

A brown-haired man in glasses and a white lab coat walked up the mic, giving of an easygoing air.

“It’s nice to meet you all!” the man greeted.

The man frowned, adjusting the mic, thinking that there must be something wrong with it.

“My name is Takuto Maruki.” the man said. “Thank you for welcoming me to your school.”

Maruki tried to give a bow… only to bang his head against the microphone, causing a bunch of laughter amongst the crowd of students.

“A-Anyway, there’s no need to be formal with me. I’m just here to help anyone who’s interested.” Maruki said. “If it makes you comfortable, you can even call me Doc. I’ll be willing to assist you with any problems you have… although, I’m not really good with helping with money problems.

The crowd started laughing once again, and even she couldn’t help but give a small smile.

He seemed a little silly and clumsy, but after Kamoshida, that silliness was a welcome change of pace.

“...Thank you, Dr. Maruki.” the principal said, “Now then, in other news…”

* * *

After the assembly had ended, she met Ren and Ryuji near the exit.

“Tch… like this place really gives a shit about our mental health.” Ryuji scoffed.

“While he was likely only hired to save face, hopefully Dr. Maruki will be able help out anyone who was affected by Kamoshida.” she said.

“Yeah. That’s what’s most important.” Ren nodded.

“Yeah, but I don’t know about that Doctor… um, whatever his name was.” Ryuji muttered. “He was just clowning it up onstage. Could a guy like that really be helpful to us?”

“Ryuji…” Ren hissed.

Ryuji turned around, seeing Maruki himself approaching them.

“Hey there.” Maruki greeted. “Sakamoto-kun, Amamiya-kun, and Niijima-san, right?”

“How come you already know our names?” Ryuji asked, his gaze filled with suspicion.

“Well, I was informed of several students before my tenure here.” Maruki frowned. “Specifically… students involved with Kamoshida.”

“I suppose that makes sense…” she sighed.

“I know that I already offered my services to the entire school during the assembly, but I wanted to ask you three personally if you were interested in counselling.” Maruki asked.

“Nope. Not interested.” Ryuji quickly said.

“H-Huh?” Maruki stammered.

“Is that really surprising?” she asked.

“I wasn’t expecting such an immediate refusal.” Maruki admitted. “Oh! But, if you come to my office, you can get free snacks!”

“We ain’t little kids!” Ryuji snapped.

She shook her head. “Do you really believe that that’s all it will take to get us to-”

“Snacks?!” Ren gasped. “...Tell me more about these snacks.”

“Renren, no, it’s a trick!” Ryuji yelled.

Maruki frowned again. “To be frank, I’ve been ordered to provide counseling with any students who were involved with Kamoshida. It’s… in the school’s interest and the students.”

“The school’s interest, huh?” Ryuji scoffed. “Just like how it was in ‘the school’s interest’ to ignore Kamoshida’s victims until his crimes got on the news?!”

Maruki winced. “I know that asking you to trust a complete stranger like it is a tall order, and that mandatory counselling isn’t very helpful, but I really do want to make this worthwhile for you. Maybe… I could teach you ways to improve your mental acuity.”

“Mental what?” Ryuji asked, confused.

“I could help you hone your concentration on exams, or not get nervous on dates.” Maruki explained. “How does that sound?”

“Mental acuity…” she mused. “That could be useful… for exams, of course! And for in the Metaverse!”

She had to admit that she was suspicious of his motives. Was he _only_ doing this because he was ordered to, or did he really care?

“Annnd I’ve got snacks!” Maruki chimed.

Ren immediately perked up. “We accep-”

“Would you quit it with the snacks!” Ryuji snapped.

“I accept.” Makoto said.

“For real?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you want his snacks to, Makoto!”

“It’s not that.” she denied. “It’s just that it would be more trouble if we didn’t go.”

“Guess you’ve got a point.” Ryuji relented.

“Really?” Maruki asked, pleasantly surprised. “Well, I’ll be in the nurse’s office, so stop by whenever you like!”

“Thank you for taking my counseling into consideration.” Maruki smiled. “Now that we have a deal, I promise that I’ll do my best to help you.

As Maruki thanked her for her cooperation…

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Councilor** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**COUNCILLOR** **CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“Hey, what’s the hold up?” Ryuji called.

“I need to get going.” she said, excusing herself.

She caught up to the boys, walking back to class with them.

“I know that they’re gonna force us to go to counselling, but can we really trust that guy?” Ryuji muttered.

“I’m not sure.” she admitted.

“Well, I’m willing to go first.” Ren shrugged. “I figure that the staff really has their eye on me, so I should just get it over with.”

“You just want the snacks, don’t you?” Morgana smirked, peeking out of her bag.

“W-Well… I guess there’s that too…” Ren muttered.

She let out a giggle, while Ryuji groaned.

“I suppose I’ll do it today as well.” she said. “What about you, Ryuji?” 

“Eh, I’ll get to it eventually.” Ryuji muttered. “Let me know what he’s like, yeah?”

“Just don’t go shouting about our identities.” Morgana grumbled.

“Come on, that was one time, cat!”

The three thieves (and cat) continued walking to their classrooms, ready to finish up their classes for the day.

* * *

“Yes? Come in!”

Ren stepped into the office, glancing around.

“Welcome. Thank you for coming.” Maruki greeted. “Care for a snack?”

Ren nodded, sitting on the couch before munching on some cookies and sipping from a juice box.

“So…is there anything that’d you’d like to discuss?” Maruki asked.

Ren shrugged. “Didn’t the school already tell you everything about me? The rest of the staff knows.

“Well… yes.” Maruki admitted. “Full disclosure here… the school already told me about the… circumstances that led to you attending here.”

“Well, at least he’s honest…” Ren mused.

“But even if I did hear about the original incident, I’d really like to hear your side of the story.” Maruki requested.

“My side?” Ren repeated. “Well… ok, I guess I could tell you.”

“If it brings up any troubling memories, or if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” Maruki told him.

Ren shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ve told it so many times before already.”

Ren told him everything he could recall about the events of that night.

“I see… what a horrible situation.” Maruki sympathized. “It must have been rough at home.”

Ren’s smile fell for just a moment, but quickly came back.

“A lot of the other students know as well.” Ren said, changing the subject. “Kamoshida… he got one of his athletes to leak my record, and a lot of rumors started getting spread about me. Even tried to get me expelled because he didn't like me.”

“I see… that must have been very hard for you, especially during an already stressful exam week.” Maruki assumed.

“Nah, I’m fine.” Ren shrugged. “It doesn’t really bother me at all.”

“Really?” Maruki asked. “That’s quite surprising. Most people wouldn’t be able to take something like this in stride. But I imagine it would still be better if there weren’t any rumors… wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah… I wish I had never gotten this assault charge or had these rumors…” Ren sighed. “But… It’s in the past now. I’ve made a few friends, even.”

“That’s great!” Maruki exclaimed. “I’m glad to see that you’re making the best of your situation.”

“I'm doing pretty well, all things considered.” Ren grinned. “So… hopefully we can wrap this up soon.”

“Are you sure that there's no way that I can make this more worthwhile for you?” Maruki asked. “I did offer advice for concentration, exams, and dating.”

“I think I’m good on exams… and most of the girls here seem to be afraid of a ‘dangerous criminal’ like me.” he said, chuckling to himself.

Maruki took out a notepad, writing something down. “Well, if it ever does start to bother you, then feel free to come to me. Bottling in feelings like that can’t be good.”

“Yeah… I’ll keep that in mind.” Ren said.

“I still have to commend you for taking this all so well.” Maruki praised. “A lot of people wouldn’t be able to handle something like this, or they’d have to come up with ways to cope.”

“Cope?” Ren repeated.

“As much as we try to deal with what happens in life, it can be a little hard to ignore, right?” Maruki asked. “So at times, we come up with methods to cope with an unfair reality.”

“What do you mean?” Ren wondered. “That doesn’t sound good…”

“Coping isn’t necessarily a bad thing!” Maruki insisted. “There are bad ways to do it, sure, but there are positive ways as well. Like sometimes, we try to keep an optimistic attitude or seek support.

“...And occasionally, we use humor as a coping mechanism as well.” Maruki brought up. “We use jokes, sarcasm, smiles, or self-deprecation to cope, or to hide our true feelings.”

Ren said nothing, his lip quivering ever so slightly.

“Amamiya-kun?”

“...I’m not really sure about any of that, Doctor.” Ren said.

“Oh, of course! Sorry, I was rambling.” Maruki apologized. 

“...Doctor, I can trust you to keep everything to yourself, right?” Ren muttered. “I’m a little skeptical of the school’s intentions with making me go to counselling.”

“I suppose I can’t blame you for that.” Maruki sighed. “But I promise that as long as you aren’t presenting any danger to yourself or others, everything in this room will stay completely confidential.”

“Then…?”

“I’ll tell the staff that you attended counselling, but not what we discussed.” Maruki promised.

“...Thanks, Doc.” Ren smiled.

“Of course. Feel free to stop by again if you’d like.” Maruki offered. “I only want what’s best for you.”

Ren exited the room, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I’m doing perfectly fine… that’s what he wanted to hear… right?”

* * *

With classes over for the day, she headed to the nurse’s office, hoping to get her counselling session finished as soon as possible.

When she arrived, however, she was surprised to find another student already there.

“Oh, Sempai!” the girl greeted. “Are you here for a session as well?”

“Yes, that’s right.” she nodded. “If I recall, you’re-”

“Kasumi Yoshizawa! You know her, Niijima-san?” Maruki asked.

“We met briefly before.” she explained.

“Dr. Maruki is a wonderful counselor.” Kasumi praised. “I’ve been seeing him for a while, even before he came to Shujin.”

“She goes to counselling too...” Makoto mused. “She seems very cheerful, but I suppose I don’t know her that well.”

“Don’t go overselling me too hard, Yoshizawa-san.” Maruki sighed. “I’m really nothing special.”

“Don’t say that. You’ve helped me out so much!” Kasumi beamed. “Well, I should get going. Please excuse me.”

“Well then, shall we get started?” Maruki asked, turning towards her.

She nodded, following him into his office and sitting down on the couch.

“Firstly, I wanted to thank you for coming in today.” Maruki smiled. “Snack?”

“Wha- oh, no thank you.” she declined. “I hope you aren’t too busy at the moment.”

“Oh no, anyone’s welcome to stop by any time!” Maruki told her.

“I see… um, I’m sorry. I’ve never been to a counselling session before.” she confessed. “I’m not really sure where to begin.”

“That’s all right.” Maruki assured her. “I know that a ‘Counselling Session’ sounds very serious, but we can talk about whatever you want.”

“...But I imagine that you’d prefer to speak about Kamoshida, correct?” She asked.

“Oh, well…”

“That’s fine.” she told him. “You don’t need to be concerned about me. Feel free to discuss whatever you want with me.”

“Um… ok, them!” Maruki stammered. “I’d want to say that the school has already told me a bit about you. From what I’ve seen about your grades and conduct, you seem like the ideal honor student!”

“No… that’s not it at all.” she shook her head. “To be honest… I’ve felt so overwhelmed lately. All my life, I’ve had to rely on others.”

“Feeling overwhelmed at such a crucial part of your life is completely understandable.” Maruki told her. “And getting help isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s wonderful that you have such a support system.”

“I suppose so… I felt so powerless during the Kamoshida incident… like I had failed everyone.”

“It’s not good to shoulder such a big burden.” Maruki frowned. “The staff should be protecting the student body, and shouldn’t be relying on them so much.”

“Yes… I suppose I realize that now.” she whispered.

“When the school told me of your circumstances, they also told me about… how you live alone with your older sister.” Maruki admitted.

She nodded. “Our mother died when I was very young. I… don’t remember much about her, but Sis loved her dearly. And our father…”

“Do you remember more about him?” Maruki asked.

“I do.” she said, smiling fondly. “But… growing up without them has been tough on me and my sister. Maybe… it’s part of why I was so… uptight and unapproachable back then.”

“What about now?” Maruki inquired.

“I think I’m a bit better now.” she said. “I… have some very dear friends who I know I can trust. But things are still so overwhelming. Becoming more independent is freeing, but I can’t help but be a little nervous about my future.”

“That’s understandable, but there's no rush. There’s plenty of time to plan out your future and pursue your dreams.” Maruki assured her. “In fact, I’m even older than you, and I still have plenty of dreams!”

“Really?” she asked.

“I’m doing a bit of research into more psychological treatments. Things like learning about people’s hearts. What they think or feel.” Maruki explained.

“That’s certainly interesting.” she said.

“I’m glad you think so… maybe, in another session, I can talk about it more with you.” Maruki offered. “It might help you come up with your own dreams about your future, or, at least, teach you some nice ways to train yourself mentally.”

Did this have something to do with his counseling? It seemed odd, but she wouldn’t turn down more mental training.

As the session continued onwards, she felt more and more at ease with the doctor. He really did seem to care.

 **COUNCILLOR** **CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

“Thank you for the session.” she expressed. “I feel a little at ease now.”

“Glad to hear it.” Maruki grinned. “Feel free to stop by again sometime.”

“Maybe I will.” she thought to herself, smiling.

With her session over, she headed home for the day.

* * *

**5/14 Saturday**

“And… it’s over!” she beamed, happy to finally be done with exams.

“It’s over… it’s all over…” Ryuji groaned.

“You did get some studying in… right, Ryuji?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Heh… he probably spent all night playing video games!” Morgana laughed.

“How did you k- I mean shut up, cat!” Ryuji snapped.

“I think I did pretty good.” Ren said. “I was able to figure most of it out, at least.”

“L-Let’s stop talkin’ about the exams!” Ryuji insisted. “We need to go back to Madarame’s place!”

“I suppose you’re right.” she nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

* * *

“I thought that you would have come alone…”

Yusuke grumbled to himself as they sat down in the room.

“I didn’t feel comfortable coming here alone.” she admitted.

“We’re here to make sure you don’t try anything perverted.” Ryuji bluntly stated.

“Nonsense.” Yusuke scoffed. “I have no attraction to her as a member of the opposite sex.”

“He’s… certainly straight to the point…” she thought to herself.

She placed her bag down, Morgana stealthily climbing out so he could scout out the area.

Numerous times, they tried to engage Yusuke in conversation, but he was far too engrossed in his painting to respond.

“Hey, uh… you almost done there?” Ren asked, getting a little impatient.

“No good…” Yusuke muttered.

“No good?! What are you talking about?!” Ryuji yelled.

“The painting is no good…” Yusuke muttered.

“I’m sorry… is it my fault?” she asked.

“No, it’s not that…” Yusuke sighed. “I just… haven’t been able to focus recently and-”

The sound of his stomach rumbling interrupted him.

“Oh, you’re hungry? Guess we’ve been here a while.” Ren said. “I guess we could take a break for a meal.”

“I had a small breakfast, and haven’t eaten since then.” Yusuke explained.

“For real?! Dude, I’d have dinner at this point normally!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Sensei told me that only when an artist abandons all other desires can they truly focus on their art.” Yusuke explained.

Immediately, her expression turned from confusion to horror.

“Y-You mean you always skip meals?!” she exclaimed. “Your body needs that energy, Kitagawa-kun! You could get sick… or worse.”

“But… sensei said…”

“Who the eff cares what he said!” Ryuji snapped. “He’s abusing you!”

Yusuke’s eyes narrowed. “This nonsense again!”

She showed him the picture she had taken at the gallery. “This painting we looked at… you painted this, didn’t you?”

Yusuke said nothing, instead turning away with a conflicted look on his face.

“Your silence speaks volumes.” Ren said. “If you painted this, why is it in your sensei’s gallery?”

“Your sensei’s real screwed up!” Ryuji added. “His students are just tools to him! He doesn’t give a damn about stealin’ their work or starving them!”

“I… I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about!” Yusuke insisted.

“We can help you, Kitagawa-kun.” Makoto gently said. “You don’t need to be afraid.”

“Stop it…” Yusuke muttered. “It may be true that… we provide his artwork… but I offered my ideas to him myself. My sensei… he’s been suffering from artist’s block. We want to help him...”

“Who’s ‘we’?! All his other pupils ran away!” Ryuji argued.

“What’s wrong with a pupil helping out his master!” Yusuke countered. “There are no victims here! Stop pushing your self-centered righteousness on me!”

“And what about his other pupils?” Ren asked. “Would they agree with that?”

“...We’re through here.” Yusuke said. “I asked Niijima-san to be my model, but I don’t recall calling the two of you here.”

Yusuke pulled out his phone.

“You leave me no choice but to call the police and have escort you out of here.” Yusuke threatened.

“What the hell?!” Ryuji roared.

“Everyone calm down!” she pleaded. “Kitagawa-kun, please reconsider.”

“They’re causing a disturbance.” Yusuke countered.

“Hang on, let’s make a deal!” Ren said. “If you let us go… I’ll show you a place with scenery you’ve never seen before! A place where you can paint an incredible painting.”

“...Is that so?” Yusuke asked, now very interested. “And what if I find it to be unsatisfactory?”

“Then we’ll never bother you or your sensei again.” Ren promised.

“...Very well. When can you show it to me?” Yusuke asked.

“Is everyone free tomorrow?” Ren asked.

Seeing they all nodded, Ren grinned. “We can do it tomorrow then.”

“Sensei will be at the exhibit until about 2:00 in the afternoon.” Yusuke told them. “We could start a little before then.”

“Perfect.” Ren replied. “See you then.”

As they walked out of Madarame’s atelier, she couldn’t help but wonder what Ren was planning.

When they got to the exit, they saw Morgana waiting for them.

“I found it guys!” Morgana grinned. “There was a locked door that I’m sure relates to that security system!

“Excellent!” Ren smiled. “Say, Morgana, you can enter the Palace by yourself, right?” Ren asked.

“Yes, I can! I can enter even without a phone!” Morgana bragged.

“What are you planning, Ren?” she asked. “What do you plan to show Kitagawa-kun?”

Ren seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before letting out a smirk.

“Simple. We’re going to show him Madarame’s palace.”

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.1%


	18. Goemon, Strike!

**5/15 Sunday**

“So, just to go over this one more time.” she began. “You… want to show Kitagawa-kun the Metaverse?”

Ren nodded. “With everything that’s in there, even he won’t be able deny Madarame’s true nature.”

“It’s a pretty risky plan.” Morgana admitted. “But it might be our only shot.”

“I think it’s a good plan.” she smiled. “But maybe we could refine it a bit.”

“Refine it?” Ren repeated. “Well, sounds like you’ve got a plan too.”

“I do.” she nodded. “I was hoping that we could take out two birds with one stone. Not only could we expose Yusuke to Madarame’s treachery, but we could also get rid of the security system in Madarame’s palace.”

“How are we gonna do that?” Ryuji wondered.

“Ryuji, you’re with me.” she ordered. “We’re going to head over to that security system, and wait.”

She turned towards Ren. “Ren, you’re going to get Yusuke away from the atelier, and into the Metaverse.”

“What about me?” Morgana spoke up.

“We need you to open the locked door in the atelier.” she explained. “So that when Madarame sees it open, Ryuji and I will be able to pass through and open it for good.”

“That’s great!” Morgana praised. “Heh… with you and Joker working together on making plans, infiltrating this palace will be a piece of cake!”

“How much of Madarame’s palace should I show Kitagawa?” Ren asked.

“For now, keep him outside of the museum until we take down the security system and regroup.” she advised. “We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks by bringing him inside, where he could be hurt by shadows.”

“Good idea.” Ren nodded.

“Alright. Is everyone clear on what their role is?” she asked.

They all nodded, determined to fulfill their role.

“All right. Then let’s resume the infiltration!” she exclaimed.

* * *

“You think they’ll be able to pull this off?” Skull asked.

“We need to have faith in them.” she told him.

“I hope that Morgana was right about that door.” Skull said. “I guess Yusuke’ll be distracted in the Metaverse, but Madarame will probably shut the door as soon as he sees it open.”

“Then we’ll probably only have a few moments to get through the security system before it comes back up.” she realized. “Think you can make it?”

“Heh… you kidding? Of course I can!” Ryuji smirked. “Hope you can keep up!”

“I intend to.” she smirked back.

* * *

“This is… stupendous! Amazing! Where on Earth did you find a place like this?!” Yusuke exclaimed. “Hmm… Kurusu-san?”

Ren quickly made himself scarce as he brought Yusuke outside of the atelier and into Madarame’s palace, hiding while keeping an eye on him.

Thankfully, Yusuke seemed to be completely preoccupied with his painting, not moving from his spot in front of the museum.

He waited in his spot, twirling his dagger between his hands to pass the time.

“Joker! Joker!”

After he had waited for a while, he saw Mona running up to him.

“What is it, Mona?” Joked wondered.

“I finally got that door opened!” Mona told him. “And… you’ll definitely want to see what’s inside. Yusuke too.”

“Really?” Ren asked. “I’ll go bring him back then.”

Ren brought the three of them back to the real world.

“Hmm? When did we get back here?” Yusuke wondered.

“There’s something else that I need to show you.” Ren said. “Follow me.”

Yusuke complied, following along until gasping at what he saw.

“What?! That door is supposed to be locked!” Yusuke exclaimed. “Why is it open now?!”

“Let’s investigate.” Ren said, running inside.

“Wait, stop, only Sensei can… enter…”

Both boys went wide-eyed when they saw what was inside.

“What the heck?” Ren said. “It’s just a bunch of…”

“Copies… of the Sayuri.” Yusuke finished. “But why…?”

“Yusuke, what are you doing in there?!”

They both turned around… seeing a furious Madarame at the entrance of the room.

* * *

“It’s open!” Ryuji cheered. “They did it!”

“I knew that we could believe in them.” she smiled. “Now let’s get a move on!”

They rushed through the now disabled security system, reaching a room with a single guard.

“Looks like we’ll have to get through that guard if we want to get to the control room.” Queen noted.

“Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s mess him up!” Skull yelled.

Seeing as there was no way to sneak past them, they opted to charge ahead.

“Halt! You must be the thieves that Lord Madarame was worried about!” the guard shouted. “I won’t let you go any further!”

The shadow formed into a large yellow beast with black stripes and face, a white mane, and a snake for a tail.

“Hah! We ain’t afraid of you!” Skull yelled.

Skull shot a bolt of lightning at the shadow, dealing a small amount of damage.

“Skullcracker!” the beast roared, slamming his fist into Ryuji’s face.

“Ugh… of all the names you could have called that attack…” Skull grumbled.

“Hua Po!” she yelled, calling a red fairy to her side. “Agi!”

She shot a ball of fire towards the beast, bringing it to its knees.

“Now, Skull!” she shouted.

They quickly tried an All Out Attack, only to find it had little effect when there was only two of them.

The shadow stood up, swatting her away with its large paw.

“Ugh… we’ve barely put a dent in him!” she muttered.

“Then let's use our special move!” Skull suggested.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “We haven’t had the time to practice it.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this!” Ryuji shouted. “Let’s rock, Fist of the Phantom S-”

“That’s not my name!” she protested. “Now stay focused!”

Both Thieves ran towards the enemy, Queen hitting them with an aerial kick, landing behind them.

Skull jumped into the air, slamming his weapon on the shadow's face before hitting them with it again.

The shadow tried to counterattack, but she quickly went back on the offensive.

“ATATATATATA!” Queen shouted, assaulting the shadow with a flurry of punches.

“Is that all?!” the shadow mocked as her barrage ended. “Your fists couldn’t hurt a fly!”

“You’re already dead.” she calmly said.

“What?!” the shadow asked, before roaring in pain.

The shadow’s body began to rupture, before it burst into black ooze.

“I know I said it before, but damn, you really are the Fist of the Phantom Star…” Skull muttered, before handing her a soda. “Here, take this.”

She looked it over before crushing the soda in her hand.

“Don’t we have anything healthier?!” she snapped.

“R-Right away, Ma’am!” Skull stammered, giving a small bow as she handed her some water.

She took a moment to calm down before drinking the water. “Sorry… I suppose that was the adrenaline speaking.” she apologized. “That attack was certainly intense.”

“Hell yeah!” Skull grinned. “It was even better than I thought It’d be!”

“It was a good plan.” she smiled. “Now then, let’s find that security system.”

* * *

“Sensei, what is the meaning of this?” Yusuke desperately asked.

Madarame sighed. “I suppose that I can’t keep quiet about this anymore. The truth is… that I’m in severe debt.”

“Debt?!” Yusuke gasped.

Madarame nodded. “I got involved… with a bad crowd many years ago when I was desperate for money. Now they’re constantly threatening me to keep paying them, or they’ll tell everyone about our deal. I handmade these “Sayuri” copies and have been selling them through a special connection of mine.”

“But why?” Yusuke asked.

“The real Sayuri was stolen from me by one of my previous pupils…” Madarame sighed. “That moment was so shocking to me… I’ve had artist’s block ever since because of that incident. Because of this, some of my students would hand their ideas to me from time to time...”

“Hmm…” Ren trailed off, thinking over his story.

“I tried to recreate the Sayuri many times.” Madarame continued. “But all that came of it was replicas… but then someone came to buy these paintings, knowing that they weren't the original.”

“To scam others?” Ren guessed.

“Most likely…” Madarame trailed off. “It’s all my fault. I had no choice but to keep making them in order to pay off my debt… and to further your talents, Yusuke. Please… forgive your foolish master.”

“S-Sensei…” Yusuke stammered. “Sensei, I understand. There’s no need for-”

“Hold on a minute.” Ren interrupted. “How did you make copies of the original if it was stolen?”

Madarame’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting his story to be questioned. “Well… I found a very detailed photo in an artbook.”

“You sold copies of a photo?” Ren scoffed. “If someone was into expensive art, I can’t imagine they would fall for that.”

“They… would know where to look for signs of forgery…” Yusuke realized.

“You’re lying.” Ren accused.

“What would you know about art!” Madarame snapped, beginning to lose his composure.

“Ren…” Morgana hissed. “Look under there.”

Morgana pointed to a covered up painting, Ren quickly grabbing the cover and tossing it to the side.

The painting beneath the cover was none other than the Sayuri itself.

“This… is the real Sayuri…!” Yusuke gasped. “Sensei, you just said that it was stolen!”

“That’s just another replica!” Madarame excused.

“No, it’s nothing of the sort!” Yusuke argued. “This painting… was my inspiration… it kept me going… It's the reason I became an artist. Sensei… please, don’t tell me…”

“It’s a fake!” Madarame insisted. “I heard that there was a counterfeit spreading around, so I bought it!”

“You’re saying you bought a counterfeit of your own artwork?” Ren asked. “Give me a break.”

“Sensei… you’re lying.” Yusuke accused. “Sensei, please, just tell me the truth…”

“Even you’re turning your back to me, Yusuke?” Madarame asked. “After everything I’ve done for you?!”

Madarame pulled out his phone, dialing a number on it.

“I’ve reported you to my personal security company.” Madarame told them. “I never thought that it would come in handy for something like this.”

“Hold on, let’s talk about this!” Yusuke pleaded.

“Save your talking for the police, Yusuke!” Madame dismissed. “And you can say goodbye to your position as my apprentice… and your scholarships.”

“Ren, we need to move!” Morgana yelled. “Let’s take Yusuke and hide in the Metaverse!”

Ren nodded, grabbing Yusuke’s arm, running out of the room, Morgana following behind them.

“It’s too late! They’ll be here any minute now!” Madarame shouted.

Ren ran out of the house as fast as he could, quickly bringing them back to the Metaverse...

* * *

“Hell yeah! Looks like the security system’s down for good!” Ryuji grinned.

“Now we just need to let Joker and Mona know what happened.” she added.

“Hope they got out ok.” Ryuji said.

“LOOK OUT BELOW!”

Queen and Skull looked up, quickly getting out of the way as they saw Yusuke and Ren falling from the sky.

“Oof… at least something broke my fall.” Yusuke muttered.

“Get off me!” Mona yelled.

Yusuke quickly got up, going wide-eyed as he saw Mona under him.

“D-Did that thing just talk?!” Yusuke stammered, before looking around. “Wait, who are you people?!”

“Kitagawa-kun, please calm down.” she stressed. “It’s us.”

“Niijima-san?” Yusuke gasped, recognizing her voice. “So… the one in the black coat must be Amamiya-san. And you…”

“Yeah?” Skull asked expectantly.

“...Who are you again?” Yusuke wondered.

“WHAT?!” Ryuji yelled. “Oh come on! How come you don’t remember me?!”

“Isn’t it a good thing he doesn’t know your real identity?” Mona brought up.

“Oh yeah.” Skull admitted. “I’d be a pretty bad Phantom Thief if everyone knew my identity.”

“Skull!” she snapped.

“What… oh shit!” Skull realized.

“The Phantom Thieves…” Yusuke muttered. “I heard a few rumors about them… wait… are you going to change my heart?!”

“It’s not your heart we’re after… it’s your master’s.” Makoto classified.

“Right now, we’re inside of Madarame’s heart.” Ren told him.

“Inside Sensei’s heart…?” Yusuke repeated.

“This is what that bastard truly feels.” Skull told him. “He’s just a greedy abuser, that’s all.”

“That’s enough!” Yusuke snapped.

“You were there when we saw inside of that storage room, right?!” Ren countered. “You know something isn’t right with him.”

“Then… is it really true?” Yusuke whispered. “This repulsive world is… but no, he’s kept me safe all these years… and yet...”

Seeing Yusuke begin to panic and break down, she quickly rushed towards him, catching him before he fell to his knees.

“Hey, hey, easy now.” she softly said. “It’s ok. We’re going to bring you somewhere safe, ok?”

Joker helped her, carefully helping Yusuke up and having him lean on him for support.

“Good thing Joker’s here. He’s so considerate.” she thought. “Curse my spiked shoulder pads…”

“Alright, be careful, everyone.” Mona said. “We don’t want to get into any fights when Yusuke’s with us.”

Carefully, they snuck their way through the palace, none of them saying a word until they reached the room filled with painting’s of Madarame’s former pupils.

“W-Wait… this painting…” Yusuke stammered.

“Right. I was curious about this.” she admitted. “This person’s name is Yua Kitagawa. Is she…?”

“My mother.” Yusuke whispered. “She died when I was very young, so I don’t have many memories of her. Madarame did tell me her name, at least.”

“Kitagawa-kun…” she whispered, sympathizing.

“Come on, the exit is right through here!” Mona called.

As they ran for the exit, however, several shadows appeared, blocking their path.

“Damn it, they caught us!” Ryuji muttered.

“Hahahahaha!”

A maniacal laugh caught their attention, all of them turning around.

“S-Sensei?” Yusuke stammered.

Madarame stood before them, only now he wore fancy makeup, and robes colored gold. His hair was styled into a topknot resembling a paintbrush.

“Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madarame!” the shadow greeted.

“These are the intruders that I told you about, Sensei.”

The cognitive Yusuke walked in front of Madarame, scowling at them.

“W-What… who are you?!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“I am Madarame’s pupil.” the cognitive Yusuke said. “I exist to fulfill my master’s wishes.”

“And what about your own wishes?” Ren asked. “Don’t you want to become an artist too?!”

“I am simply a tool of my master.” the cognitive Yusuke answered. “I have no will of my own.”

Yusuke gasped as he heard the words of his cognitive self. “Sensei… this is all one big lie, isn’t it?”

“My usual rags are nothing but an act.” Madarame admitted. “And you know I don’t live in that shack, Yusuke. I have another home, under a mistress’s name.”

“So, all of your humility and kindness from before was just an act.” Queen noted. “You’re nothing but scum.”

“Sensei, is this really how you see me?! How you see the world?!” Yusuke exclaimed. “And if the Sayuri was stolen, why was it in the storage room with so many copies?!”

“What a foolish child you are.” Madarame muttered. “Can you still not see the truth? The painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread!”

“A-A rumor?!” Yusuke stammered.

“I would tell every buyer that I had found the real painting, but that it couldn’t go public… but I’d offer them a special price. Art snobs ate it up, and paid good money too!” Madarame grinned.

“N-No…” Yusuke whispered, falling to his knees.

“The value of art is simply an illusion.” Madarame said. “I’m simply providing that illusion to eager customers.”

“The only thing you give a shit about is money!” Skull accused.

“You don’t care one bit about any of your pupils, or feel any shame about your plagiarism.” Joker added.

“My art, my pupils… they are nothing but tools to gain money and fame!” Madarame declared.

“B-But what about the people who look up to you as a master artist?!” Yusuke asked, his voice breaking.

“If you wish to succeed in this world, you had best not rise against me, Yusuke.” Madarame warned. “You would never find success with my objection holding them down.”

“Do you have any idea how many lives you’ve ruined?! How many dreams you’ve crushed?!” Queen yelled.

“They were of no more use to me. Each one eventually became just another broken tool.” Madarame scoffed. “Thankfully, tools can be easily replaced!”

“Was… I too, just a tool?” Yusuke asked.

“A talented, yet troubled artist… you were the perfect pupil to take ideas from… and you couldn’t even fight back.” Madarame gloated.

“I… can’t believe this.” Yusuke muttered.

“You are no different than a scapegoat cast into the desert!” Madarame snarled. “Nothing but a sacrifice for the God of the art world!”

“Unforgivable…”

“What was that?” Madarame asked.

“You are unforgivable.” Yusuke repeated. “God or not, it doesn’t matter… I won’t forgive you!”

“So this is how you repay me for raising you for years?!” Madarame yelled. “You insolent brat! Guards! Dispose of these thieves!”

“Yusuke, get behind us!” Queen ordered. “...Yusuke?”

“I wanted to believe that it wasn’t true…” Yusuke muttered. “I had clouded my vision for so long… but I can deny the truth no longer. It seems that the knowledgeable and kind sensei I once knew is no more!”

Madarame’s eyes widened, but he said nothing.

_“Have you finally come to your senses?”_

Yusuke’s eyes took on an eerie glow, and he clutched his head in pain as he fell to his knees.

_“How foolishly you averted your eyes to the truth… a deplorable imitation indeed… best you part from that aspect of yourself!”_

“AARRRGH!” Yusuke cried out in pain.

_“Let us now forge a contract… I am thou, thou art I..._

Yusuke dragged his fingers on the ground, leaving small trails of blood behind each one.

_“The world is filled with both beauty and vice… it is time you teach people which is which!”_

Suddenly, a white and red mask appeared on Yusuke’s face.

“...Mona, is he…?” Queen trailed off.

“I think so!” Mona answered.

“Very well.” Yusuke calmly said, gripping his mask. “Come, Goemon!”

Yusuke ripped off his mask, an elegantly dressed and pale faced man appearing before him, wielding a pipe.

“Woah! This guy’s got a Persona too!” Ryuji gasped.

“...Though the flowers of evil blossom, be it known… Abominations are fated to perish!” Yusuke declared.

His Persona, who they now knew as Goemon, blew into his pipe, releasing chilling winds onto their foes, freezing them and the cognitive Yusuke solid.

Using the sword that had materialized at his side. Yusuke sliced the frozen cognitive version of himself in two.

“Your imitations are nothing in the face of the original, Madarame.” Yusuke boasted.

“Grr… Where are my guards?!” Madarame roared. “Kill them all!”

Five different guards appeared by Madarame, manifesting into shadows. Four of them turned into flying, tengu-like creatures, while the fifth turned into a creepy looking blacksmith.

“No matter what it takes… I will bring you to justice!” Yusuke promised.

“We’re right behind you!” she promised.

“Very well.” Yusuke grinned, before turning towards the enemy. “Bring it on!”

The blacksmith immediately charged forward, it’s sledgehammer clashing against Yusuke’s blade.

She tried to approach to help him, but quickly found herself on the defensive as the other shadows bombarded them with wind spells.

“Apsaras!” she called. “Wind Wall!”

Her persona created a barrier, eliminating any weakness the team had to wind.

“That helps, but we still can’t get close without them blowing us away.” Mona muttered. “And my Garu spells aren’t doing much back to them.

“If we can’t blow them away with wind, then maybe…” she mused.

She snuck a glance at Yusuke, seeing that he was losing ground quickly against the blacksmith shadow.

“Wait!” she realized. “Yusuke, blow ice into the air again!”

Yusuke nodded, putting distance between himself and his foe before having Goemon blow into his pipe again.

Icy wind slammed into the other shadows, blowing them around until they crashed into the walls and fell to the floor.

“Everyone, now!” Makoto commanded.

Skull and Mona rushed to the downed foes, taking out one each, while Ren and herself fired at them from a distance.

With the other shadows dealt with, Mona healed the group's wounds as Ryuji and her rushed to assist Yusuke.

“How dare you thieves defy the great Lord Madarame!” the shadow yelled.

“There ain’t nothin’ great about him!” Ryuji argued, striking at the shadow.

The shadow was strong, however, and it easily managed to fend off the three of them with its weapons.

“Tarunda!” Ren shouted, trying to weaken the enemy.

It’s offensive power now lowered, the shadow began to struggle to block or parry their blows with its weapon.

“Goemon, strike!” Yusuke commanded.

Goemon struck with the tip of his pipe, cutting the shadow’s hammer, and the shadow itself, in two.

“That’s the last of the guards!” Mona cheered.

“Mada...rame… I’ll…” Yusuke trailed off, before falling to his knees.

“Kitagawa-kun!” she gasped, rushing to his side.

“You’ve just thrown your bright future down the drain!” Madarame snarled.

“A bright future?! You ruin your pupil’s futures whether they stay with you or not!” Ren snapped.

“Silence!” Madarame demanded. “I’ll ruin any chance he has of being an artist!”

“Madarame!” Yusuke snarled.

Yusuke tried to chase after Madarame, but found himself unable to move.

“W-What’s wrong?!” Yusuke exclaimed. “My wounds are healed, so why can’t I get up?”

“Please, calm down, Kitagawa-kun.” she insisted. “You must be exhausted after awakening to your Persona.”

“But-”

“You’ll get another chance, don’t worry.” Joker told him. “Let’s head somewhere safe.”

“What a disgrace I am…” Yusuke muttered.

“Don’t think like that, man.” Skull advised. “We wouldn’t have been able to beat those shadows without you.”

Yusuke frowned, but conceded, the group leaving the Metaverse.

* * *

The group had gone to Leblanc after exiting the Metaverse, giving Yusuke a basic rundown of it and waiting to hear his story.

While the others waited upstairs, Ren stayed to talk to Sojiro.

“Hey Boss, do you mind if my friends stay over for a bit?” he asked.

“Just don’t cause too much noise.” Sojiro grunted.

“And if it’s not too much trouble, could you cook up some curry for Kitagawa. He...can’t pay for it, but I can pay for him.” Ren offered.

“He’s another one of your friends, right?” Sojiro asked.

“Yeah...I guess so.” Ren smiled.

“...Tell you what. Do the dishes tonight, and it’s on the house.” Sojiro told him.

“R-Really?” Ren asked, surprised. “Um, sure, thanks, Boss!”

“Make sure he cleans the whole plate.” Sojiro ordered. “Kid looks like a string bean.”

“Got it!”

Ren ran up the stairs, where the others were waiting.

“Ok, Boss’ll leave us alone for a bit as long as we’re quiet.” Ren told them.

The group had gone to Leblanc after exiting the Metaverse, ready to hear Yusuke’s story.

“Did you know about the plagiarism?” Makoto asked.

“I’m no fool.” Yusuke stated. “Shady individuals have been coming over for years, and the plagiarism was an everyday affair. He hardly fed us, and we were all forced to lie on the floor in the same room for sleeping, without even a single bed.”

“That’s awful…” Makoto whispered.

“Even so… I owed my life to him. He raised me after my mother died in an accident. I couldn’t admit that he did all of these terrible things, even if the evidence were right in front of me.” Yusuke sighed.

“The fact that he raised you… he probably held that over you a lot…” she assumed.

“Yes… he did.” Yusuke nodded.

She felt... conflicted over his story. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe it or that she didn’t sympathize.

It was more like… a part of her felt that his story reminded her a lot of her own story, from losing his parents at a young age, to the type of relationship he had with his guardian.

“No… it’s not like that at all.” she told herself. “Sis and me… we get along perfectly. Sis would never break the law or do anything amoral.”

There were times, of course, where her sister would yell at her or remind her how much she does to support her… but that was because it was her fault for angering her.

“Niijima-san?”

Yusuke looked at her in confusion.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought. And you can call me Makoto if you’d like. After going through something like the Metaverse, we’re all pretty close.”

“Do the rest of you feel the same?” Yusuke asked.

Ren and Ryuji both nodded.

“I see… then, thank you for showing me the truth that I ran from for so long.” Yusuke said.

“What are you gonna do now?” Ryuji asked.

“I… don’t know.” Yusuke shrugged. “But… can you truly change the hearts of people like Madarame?”

“We can.” she confirmed. “Perhaps you’ve heard about Kamoshida? The former P.E teacher at our school.”

“I have.” Yusuke confirmed. “If you really have the power to change hearts… then I would ask you to let me join as a member of the Phantom Thieves. For the sake of all the other pupils who had their future’s ruined, I must stop Madarame.”

“Well, sounds good to me.” Ryuji grinned. “I mean, we were going to go after him anyway. What about you, leader?”

“I want to let you know that this is very dangerous.” she warned. “Life threatening, even.”

“And we need to do things very carefully.” Mona added. “If we screw up, Madarame could suffer from a mental shutdown.”

“Given his grip over the art world… I believe that this is the only way to stop him.” Yusuke said.

“I see. Then welcome to the team, Yusuke.” she smiled. “Oh, um… it’s ok if we call you Yusuke, is it?”

“That would be fine.” Yusuke told her. “However… did that cat just talk?”

“What a delayed reaction…” she mused.

“You got a problem with that?!” Morgana snapped.

“No, not really.” Yusuke shrugged.

“Dude’s on a totally different wavelength.” Ryuji muttered.

“Has Madarame contacted you at all?” Ren asked.

“He told me that he’ll be pursuing legal action against us.” Yusuke told them. “But he’ll wait until after the exhibit ends to avoid any controversy. We probably have… until the 5th of June.”

“We’ll have to change his heart before then!” Morgana declared.

“Hey kid!” Sojiro called. “Curry’s ready.”

“One second, guys.” Ren said, going downstairs.

A few seconds later, Ren came up holding an extra-large serving of curry.

“Here, eat this.” Ren told Yusuke. “You’re probably really hungry after what we did today.”

Yusuke seemed to hesitate for a moment, but the aroma of the dish proved too tempting, as he quickly scarfed it down.

“This… is delicious!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“No one can resist Boss’ curry.” she smiled.

Yusuke quickly cleaned his plate of every last bit of curry, letting out a satisfied smile as he did.

“I can’t imagine that you’ll head back to live with Madarame.” she pointed out. “Do you need a place to stay?”

“I can stay in my dorm at Kosei.” Yusuke informed them. “However, the reason why I can afford to stay there is because of my scholarship. Madarame will likely have me expelled with Kosei after the exhibition finishes.”

“I promise that we’ll change his heart in time.” she assured him.

“Thank you.” Yusuke nodded. “Where shall we meet up then?”

“Well… why not here?” she asked. “This seems like a good spot to plan, don’t you think?”

Ren nodded. “Sounds good. Just need to make sure Sojiro doesn’t hear us.”

After confirming the details of the meeting place and exchanging contact info with Yusuke, Ryuji and Yusuke left for the day.

“Ren… you were worried about Yusuke, weren't you?” Makoto asked. “That’s why you asked Boss to make him some curry.”

“Yeah… I was really concerned when he mentioned only eating one meal.” Ren admitted.

“You’re a really kindhearted person, Ren.” she complimented, a warm smile on her face.

“T-Thanks.” Ren stammered. “You’re, um, really kind too.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ren.”

She waved goodbye, heading home for the day.

* * *

In the depths of Madarame’s Palace, a lone masked figure traveled to the treasure hall.

“Madarame!” the man shouted. “Come on out!

Instantly, he found himself surrounded by guards.

“Tch… what a waste of my time.” the masked man muttered. “PERSONA!

Suddenly, an explosion of almighty energy engulfed all the guards, destroying them in an instant.

“W-Who are you…”

The masked man glanced around until he laid eyes on the trembling form of Madarame.

“Kaneshiro sends his regards.” the masked man grinned, relishing in the shadow’s fear.

“W-What?! You work for him?!” Madarame stammered.

“Not really… it’s more like they hired my services for the moment.” the masked man answered.

The masked man approached, drawing his weapons.

“You know what will happen if you don’t pay, right?” the black masked man said.

He pointed his pistol right at the shadow’s head.

“P-Please don’t shoot! I told them that I’d have the money soon!” Madarame shouted. “Just as soon as the exhibition is finished.”

“...I’ll hold you too that.” the masked man muttered. “Don’t make me have to come back here.”

“Why did he hire you, anyway?!” Madarame exclaimed.

“...I don’t think you’re in the position to be asking questions.” the masked man pointed out. “But I am, so you’d better answer the question I have for you. I heard some voices yelling and what sounded like a battle while I was passing through. New guards?”

“Intruders! I don’t know how they got inside of here!” Madarame yelled. “Wait, they’re not with you, are they?!”

“Interesting… more people who can enter the Metaverse...” the masked man trailed off.

“What?!”

“Nothing to concern yourself with.” the masked man stated. “What you should be concerned with is whether you’ll have the money on time. Because if you don’t...”

Suddenly, the masked man swung his blade, stopping it mere inches away from Madarame’s neck.

“...You know what’ll happen.”

As the masked man walked out of the room, the shadow fell to their knees in fear.

“I should have never gotten involved with those Mafia types…” the shadow lamented.

The masked man left the palace, laughing maniacally to himself...

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 1

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.3%


	19. An Ugly Truth

**5/16 Monday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 24**

The entire time she was in class, she couldn’t help but worry about Yusuke’s predicament.

After classes ended for the day, she decided to call Yusuke to check up on him.

“Makoto, is that you?” Yusuke asked.

“Yes, hello Yusuke.” she greeted. “How are you doing?”

“Most of my supplies are at the atelier, and I can’t exactly go back there.” Yusuke lamented. “There isn’t much at my dorm.”

“Will you be alright by yourself?” she asked.

“I can manage for now.” Yusuke told her. “About the palace…”

“We’ll need a few days to stock up on supplies like medicine.” she informed him. “If you’d like, I could teach you a bit more about the Metaverse.”

“I would appreciate it.” Yusuke nodded. “Right now I’m at a restaurant in Shibuya.”

“A restaurant?” she repeated. “Umm…”

She didn’t want to be rude, but…

“A friend of mine got the meal for me.” Yusuke told her, as if reading her mind.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’ll give you the directions to the restaurant.” Yusuke told her.

After texting the directions to her, she set out for the restaurant.

* * *

“Niijima-san?! Is that you?”

As soon as she entered the restaurant, she saw Yusuke, as well as another familiar face.

“Makigami-kun?!” she exclaimed.

“Niijima-san, I didn’t expect to see you at my family’s restaurant!” Naoya said.

“Oh, this is your family’s restaurant?” she asked. “I came here looking for Yusuke.”

“I’m right here.” Yusuke greeted, calling from a secluded table.

“Oh, were the two of you going to talk about the modeling?” Naoya asked.

“Something like that.” she lied.

She sat down next to Yusuke.

“So, when will we begin… the operation?” Yusuke asked.

“A few days from now.” she informed him. “Ren will be picking up some medical supplies, then we’ll finish the infiltration.”

“I see… and how do we go about changing Sensei?” Yusuke asked.

“First we secure a route to his treasure, and then we send a calling card.” she whispered. “Actually, you might be able to help in that regard.”

“Hmm, yes, I suppose I could make something with that.” Yusuke nodded.

She continued to speak with Yusuke about any other questions he had about the Metaverse, making sure others couldn’t hear, until he had to leave.

“Niijima-san, are you leaving as well?” Naoya asked. “I was hoping that we could work on our martial arts for a bit.”

“Oh, sure, I have time.” she nodded. “Lead the way.”

The two teens went to Protein Lovers, getting a workout in while teaching each other the kata of their preferred martial art.

“Man… aikido is a lot more complex than I thought.” Naoya panted.

“And kendo is certainly tiring… but I did have a lot of fun.” she smiled.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Naoya grinned. “I’ve been practicing kendo for years now.”

“I can tell. I’m sure you could become a professional if you put your mind to it!” she complimented.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t.” Naoya insisted. “This is just a hobby, that’s all. After I graduate, I’ll eventually take over the family restaurant. That’s what my parents want for me.”

“What your parents want for you?” she repeated. “What about you?”

“What do you mean?” Naoya wondered.

“What do you want to do when you graduate?” she asked.

“Ah, that… well, I guess I’ll just take after my parents and get into the food industry with the restaurant.” Naoya shrugged. “Never really thought about anything else…”

“That didn’t seem like a very convincing answer…” she mused. “Then again, I suppose I’m not very sure of my future either…”

“Anyway, thank you for the lessons, Niijima-san.” Naoya expressed.

“You’re welcome. Maybe next time we can have a spar.” she suggested.

“I’ll look forward to it.” Naoya grinned.

As they made plans for when they’d next hang out, she felt their bond grow slightly stronger...

**TEMPERANCE CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

After speaking with Naoya a little more, she went home for the day.

* * *

**5/17 Tuesday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 23**

After classes ended for the day, she ran into Ren, hoping to ask him about his supplies.

“Hey Ren?” she asked. “Did you get the medical supplies from the doctor?” she asked.

“Was just going to go there today.” Ren told her. “We should be ready to go back to the palace by tomorrow.”

“Excellent.” she smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

After saying goodbye to Ren, she left school, wondering what to do for the rest of the day.

“I haven’t visited Shiho in a while…” she mused. “I wouldn’t want her getting lonely.”

She set off for the hospital, hoping that she could pay her a visit.

* * *

*Knock Knock*

“Come in.”

She quietly opened the door, entering Shiho’s room.

“Oh, Niijima-sempai.” Shiho said, managing a small smile. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Suzui-san.” she said, smiling back.

“How’s everything been going at Shujin?” Shiho asked.

“Things have been pretty hectic recently.” she admitted. “It being exam time certainly doesn’t help.”

“I can imagine…” Shiho trailed off.

“On the plus side, the school hired a counselor to help talk to the students, especially those that were affected by Kamoshida’s actions.”

“Did… you attend counselling?” Shiho asked.

“They forced me to.” Makoto admitted. “It was because… Kamoshida…”

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Shiho nervously asked.

“Well…”

She explained how Kamoshida had called her down to his office one day, and what had transpired there.

“Thanks goodness nothing happened to you.” Shiho said, giving a sigh of relief.

“How’s everything been going with you?” she asked.

“Things are… better than before.” Shiho said. “I still can’t walk on my own, but I’m starting to regain a bit of feeling in my leg.”

“That’s great, Shiho! I’m sure that you’ll recover and be back to Shujin in no time!” she encouraged.

“Um… about that…” Shiho trailed off.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“The truth is… I’ll be transferring to a different school after I’m discharged.” Shiho admitted.

“W-What?!” she stammered. “Why is that?”

“Shujin… holds so many horrible memories for me.” Shiho whispered. “I don’t think I’d be comfortable going back, even with Kamoshida gone.”

“I can’t blame you for that.” Makoto said. “You have to do what’s best for you.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Shiho expressed. “Still…”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m just worried about Ann.” Shiho frowned. “She visited me earlier and… didn’t take the news that well. I feel so guilty for leaving her alone.”

“It’s not your fault, Shiho.” she told her. “Nothing that happened is your fault.”

“Maybe, but… it must be really hard for Ann.” Shiho frowned. “...Makoto?”

“Yes, Shiho?”

“I hope I’m not asking too much, but… could you look out for Ann?” Shiho asked.

“Of course.” she promised. “I’ll do whatever I can to help her.”

“Thank you so much, Makoto!” Shiho beamed. “I really appreciate it.”

Shiho's mood instantly brightened, and she could feel her gratitude.

**SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

After keeping Shiho company for a bit longer, she went home for the day.

* * *

**5/18 Wednesday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 22**

After making sure that everyone was aware that they would be going to the Palace today, she made her way to Leblanc, her, Ren, and Morgana being the only ones there.

“Hey, Makoto.” Ren greeted. “I have some money left over after I got the medical supplies. What should we do with it?”

“Hmm… maybe we could distribute some of it among ourselves for personal use.” she suggested. “I have some leftover money as well.

“Sooo, evenly amongst me, you, Ryuji, and Yusuke, right?” Ren asked.

“Hey, what about me!” Morgana yelled.

“What would a cat even buy?” Ren muttered.

“Sushi! Lots and lots of sushi!” Morgana grinned.

“Ok, I guess we’ll split it up five ways… with part of it going to Morgana’s sushi fund.” she said.

They waited until Ryuji arrived, gave him his share, and did the same with Yusuke.

“After all of our supplies were taken care of, Ren and I noticed we had quite a bit left over.” she said. “So, I thought to distribute the money to everyone. Thanks for all your help.”

“I feel like I should be thanking you, Niijima-san.” Yusuke admitted. “This will certainly help, now that I’m on my own.”

With everyone gathered together and adequately stocked, they entered the palace.

* * *

“Ok, first thing’s first!” Mona stated. “We need to come up with a codename for our newest member!”

“A codename?” Yusuke asked.

“We don’t want to use our real names in the Metaverse, just in case.” Ren explained.

“You have any ideas on what you want your name to be?” Makoto asked.

“Hmm… I’d say Da Vinci.” Yusuke suggested.

“Nope. Denied.” Skull quickly said.

“What? Why not?” Yusuke wondered.

“That name sounds totally lame, that’s why!” Ryuji answered. “You need a cooler codename!”

“It doesn’t really matter how cool it is.” she sighed. “But maybe… you shouldn’t base your codename after an artist. You wouldn’t want anything that could potentially be traced back to you.”

“Well, with that mask and tail…” Ryuji trailed off, taking note of his foxlike outfit. “I got it! We’ll call you Abura-age!”

“Very well.” Yusuke agreed.

“Wait, he agreed to it?” Morgana laughed.

“Although… hearing abura-age all the time might make me hungry…” Yusuke muttered.

“Why don’t we keep it simple, then?” Ren suggested. “Let’s go with Fox. It’s the English word for kitsune.”

“Oh yeah, that works!” Ryuji grinned.

“Well, what do you think, Fox?” Mona asked.

“It’s acceptable.” Yusuke said.

“All right, then let’s go!” she ordered.

* * *

While they were now able to pass by the security measures in his palace, they quickly found that the shadows were now on high alert, and very strong.

“Agi!” she shouted, flinging a fireball that downed an enemy.

“Hey, Queen!” Skull called, pointing to one of the shadows. “Ain’t that thing that we fought the other day?”

The demon before them was, in fact, a smaller, weaker version of the shadow they had used their team attack on a few days ago.

“I wonder how we can get this one to join us?” Queen asked.

“Oh, I have an idea!” Skull grinned. “I saw it in a video game once! Try a motorcycle impression!”

“Skull, what the hell kind of idea is that?! Mona exclaimed.

Would persona’s really like her doing a motorcycle impression? Worth a shot, she supposed.

“Lend me your power.” she requested.

“Why should me lend you power?” the shadow asked, it’s speech not quite correct.

“Well… I can make really cool motorcycle impressions.” she said.

The shadow seemed to perk up at that. “Really? You show!”

“Close your eyes…” she commanded.

The shadow did as it was told.

“Well, there’s no need to do an impression.” she mused. “Not when I can.

She summoned Johanna, revving her up.

“Ooooh!” the shadow exclaimed in awe. “That amazing!”

She did it a few more times before the demon finally agreed to join them.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad.” she grinned.

“So, what’s this one called?” Joker asked.

“Oh, he’s Nue.” she said.

“Um, yeah, I know he’s new, but what’s its name?” Joker asked.

“No, Joker, I mean it’s a Nue mask.” she clarified.

“I know it’s a new mask, Queen, but what-”

“Moving on!” she cut him off. “Come on, there are probably plenty of other new shadows to recruit.”

“But Queen, didn’t you just recruit a Nue shadow?” Ren grinned.

Queen turned, giving Joker an exasperated look, but couldn’t resist a few giggles when she saw the innocent grin on his face.

“Are they… always like this?” Yusuke asked.

“Oh yeah. They were the first members of this group.” Ryuji told him. “Those two are always planning things or hanging out.”

“Hmm… do you think those two are…” Yusuke trailed off.

“Wait, Joker and Queen?! Like… together? No way, man!” Ryuji laughed. “But… now that you mention it…”

* * *

The more they trekked through the palace, the more twisted the place seemed. They eventually stumbled upon a giant statue of Madarame himself, along with…

“W-What is this…?” Yusuke gasped.

“It’s like… some sort of altar.” Makoto whispered.

Several bodies littered the stairs leading up to the altar.

“These are… Madarame's former pupils.”

Yusuke realized.

“Hey guys, look over here.” Morgana said, pointing to a plaque by the altar.

_“Here we praise our most holy lord Ichiryusai Madarame, the one ray of hope in this depraved world. He stands alone as his two adept hands into the future. Glady will we sacrifice ourselves in his name. None shall ever match his excellence._

Makoto watched as Yusuke read the sign, his expression growing angrier and angrier with each word.

“Fox, maybe we should-”

“My mother isn't here.” Fox realized. “Why isn't she here?”

“There was that picture of here before.” Mona recalled. “There's probably a cognitive version of her somewhere around here.”

“I see…” Fox muttered.

“Fox, are you ok?” she asked, concerned.

“I’ll be fine.” Yusuke insisted. “We should keep moving.”

Concerned as she was, she realized that he had a point, and led the group further into the palace.

* * *

“Hmm… There's another Will Seed nearby.” Morgana noted.

“A Will Seed?” Fox repeated.

“I can explain.” she said.

She explained what Will Seeds were, as well as what they saw when they grabbed the first Will Seed.

“So, these Will Seeds will allow us to view a glimpse of Madarame's past.” Yusuke said. “Then… I would like to see them myself. I want to know what made Madarame like this.”

Seeing the determined expression on his face, there was no way she could deny him.

“Ok, let's do this.” she nodded.

It didn’t take long for them to find the location of the nearby Will Seed.

“Let’s see what this shows us.” she mused, picking up the seed.

* * *

Once again, they saw a glimpse of Madarame’s past, but instead of it being from when he was a boy around their age, he was now a middle aged man, but not quite as old as he was now.

He sat in his atelier, frowning as he looked at a painting he had made.

“Damn it!” Madarame snapped. “This painting isn’t good at all!”

Another man stepped into the room, holding a bag of food.

“Is everything alright?” the second man asked.

“It’s fine, Akiko.” Madarame scoffed. “What is it?”

“I bought some groceries for you.” Akiko said. “You don’t need to worry about paying me back, but… are you sure you don't want me to get you a fridge to store food?”

“I can’t afford to waste money on electricity.” Madarame brought up. “I can save money by not buying food that needs to be stored.”

“Ichitaro, I’m worried about you.” Akiko said.

‘I told you, it’s Ichiryusai now.” Madarame told him.

“Ichiryusai… Ichiryu means ‘top-notch’, doesn’t it?” Akkio asked. “Isn’t changing your name to that a little… vain?”

“I will… be worthy of that name someday.” Madarame muttered.

An awkward silence fell between the two men before Akiko eventually broke it.

“...I see you’re still painting.” Akiko noted. “Have you… considered other types of employment? Even something temporary?”

Madarame scowled. “What are you talking about?”

“The art world is not as beautiful as you think.” Akiko said. “The pure beauty that you seek may not exist.”

“Are you just here to tell off your friend?!” Madarame snapped.

Akiko frowned. “No, I just-”

“I know what you’re doing.” Madarame cut him off. “Occasionally, I compare myself with people my same age. They have families, established careers… and I look at myself, and wonder where the hell I went wrong. And yet, I still want to be a painter.”

“Even so…” Akiko trailed off.

“I know. I’m not a young boy anymore.” Madarame acknowledged. “I’m a poor, debt-ridden middle-aged man. And yet, all I can do to repay my debt is to succeed with my paintings, because it’s all I know how to do! It’s too late for me to go back!”

Akiko didn’t respond.

“Just watch… one day, I’ll reach the top of the art world with my own strength alone.” Madarame insisted.

“I see…” Akiko finally said. “Then I won’t bother you about it anymore.”

Akiko left the room, leaving Madarame by his lonesome.

“Why me…?” Madarame muttered, burying his head in his hands.

* * *

“So… Madarame really was in debt.” Yusuke noted.

“It seems like it.” she agreed. “That might have been part of what pushed him over the edge to become what he is today.”

“Hey, Fox, do you know who that other man was?” Joker asked.

“He seems… vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place my finger on it.” Yusuke admitted.

“Well, there’s one more of these Will Seeds, so that’ll probably make things a little clearer.” Skull pointed out.

With this new information in mind, the Thieves ventured further into the palace.

* * *

“Right there.” Morgana whispered. “The treasure is right there.”

“And so is Madarame…” Yusuke muttered.

“But it’s surrounded by more of those inferred lasers.” Joker pointed out.

“Then there’s gotta be another control room nearby!” Ryuji said. “Let’s go and find it!”

Sure enough, they found a control room close by that controlled the lights, as well as a crane directly above the treasure.

“Say Queen, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Mona asked.

“If we have someone turn off the lights in the control room, we can have someone else operate the crane and grab the treasure.” she noted.

“Exactly!” Morgana grinned. “And that’ll be our path to the treasure!”

“We still have another Will Seed to find.” she pointed out. “We should probably grab it before we leave.”

After exploring for a bit longer, they found the door to the last Will Seed, a single guard standing in their way.

“Hold it right there!” the guard shouted. “You must be the intruders! I won’t let you escape here alive!”

The guard formed into a giant blue statue, flashing a brilliant light that exploded in front of them.

“Urgh… this one’s pretty tough.” she muttered.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” Ryuji yelled, slamming his weapon into the shadow.

...Only to realize it had no effect.

“The hell?!” Ryuji gasped. “It didn’t do anything!”

“It’s immune to physical attacks?!” she exclaimed. “Alright, everyone, try magic!”

Ren and Yusuke cast Eiha and Bufu spells respectively, and they proved to be much more effective.

“Suzaku!” she called. “Frei!”

She shot a nuclear blast at the enemy, dropping it to the ground.

“Everyone, All Out Attack!” she called.

They rushed the shadow, dealing a significant amount of damage, but not enough to bring it down for good.

The shadow quickly got up, shooting blasts of bright pink energy at them.

She wasn’t sure what it was, but knew she probably didn’t want to get hit with it.

“That was cl-AHH!” she cried, feeling a sharp pain in her side. “J-Joker?!”

Joker had just slashed at her with his knife.

“Joker, what the hell?!” Skull yelled. “Have you lost your effin’ mind?!”

Joker turned to him, a dead look in his eyes.

“I think that shadow must have brainwashed him somehow!” Mona exclaimed. “We need to help him!”

“I’ll fend off the shadow.” Yusuke offered, Ryuji right behind him.

As they dealt with the shadow, she confronted Ren. “Joker, it’s me, Queen! Fight it, Joker! I know the real you is still there!”

Her words had little effect on him, however, as Ren continued slashing at her.

“Queen, do you have something that can cure his brainwashing?” Morgana asked.

“Let’s try this! Makami!” she shouted, summoning one of her newest Persona. “Energy Drop!”

Restorative energy engulfed Joker’s body, snapping him out of his brainwashing.

“W-What… happened?” Joker muttered.

The shadow tried to brainwash them once again, but Morgana quickly moved to intercept him.

“Let’s see how you like this!” Morgana yelled. “Pulinpa!”

The shadow became confused, too disoriented to attack them.

“Garu!” Mona shouted, blowing the shadow to the ground.

“Let’s rush it again!” she commanded, the group performing another All Out Attack, bringing the shadow down for good.

“That one was pretty tough.” Ren sighed, before glancing at Makoto. “Wait, Queen, what happened to your side? How did you get slashed?”

“Wait, you don’t remember, dude?” Skull wondered. “That thing brainwashed you, and you started attackin’ us!”

She winced at Skull’s bluntness, frowning when she saw the shocked expression on Ren’s face.

“I… did that?” Joker muttered.

“Joker, it wasn’t your fault.” she insisted.

“I hurt you!” he stressed.

“You weren't yourself.” she argued. “I’m not blaming you. Let’s just put this behind us, ok?”

Ren didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t argue.

“We should probably get the next Will Seed now before more guards come.” Mona told them.

She nodded, heading into the room, and picking up the Will Seed…

* * *

Once again, they had a glimpse into the atelier, but now they saw Madarame looking much closer to his current age.

Alongside what appeared to be Yusuke’s mother...

“Yua, are you sure you’re in a good enough condition to be painting right now?” Madarame asked.

“I just want to finish this…” Yua responded. “I’m almost finished with the Sayuri.”

“When you first asked for my tutelage, I never expected you to stay so long.” Madarame said. “Right from the beginning, you were trying to perfect that painting.”

“I was.” she recalled.

“There was a man who came by the other day.” Madarame told her. “Said that they would pay a large sum of money for the painting.”

“It’s not for money.” Yua told him. “It’s for something much more important.”

Madarame glanced at the painting.

“It’s beautiful.” he complemented.

“R-Really?” Yua stammered.

Madarame nodded. “I’ve seen many paintings in my time. I know when I see excellent work. I especially love the woman’s expression. So warm and full of love.”

“I’m glad.” she smiled. “I… know I won’t live much longer. That’s why… I want to leave something behind to my son. Something that conveys how much I loved him.”

“Ah, young Yusuke, right?” Madarame grinned. “I remember you brought him over a few times. He must be… goodness, a year old already, right?

Yua nodded, a small smile on her face. “Time flies so fast. He just called me mama for the first time the other day. I was so happy.”

“Now I see why this painting is so important to you.” Madarame noted.

“Is there anything that could be improved, you think?” she asked.

Madarame looked over the painting for a few moments. “I… can’t find a single flaw.”

“You can’t?!” Yua exclaimed, eyes widening. “I thought for sure you would have some criticism… but instead, you’ve given nothing but praise.

“This art is first-class.” Madarame said, before whispering to himself. “Perhaps… even better than my own.”

“Did you say something?” Yua asked.

“Oh… it’s nothing.” Madarame said. “It’s getting rather late, however. You should be heading home soon.”

Right as he said that, however, Yua collapsed from her chair, falling to the ground.

“Are you alright?!” Madarame exclaimed.

“I-I don’t feel well…” Yua groaned. “M-My medicine…”

“Hold on, I’ll grab it!” Madarame called.

As he went to grab the medicine, however…

“And yet, all I can do to repay my debt is to succeed with my paintings, because it’s all I know how to do! It’s too late for me to go back!”

His words from so long ago came rushing back to him.

“I was offered… so much money for that painting.” Madarame muttered to himself. “I could…”

He glanced over towards Yua, who was now drifting into unconsciousness.

“In order to survive and pay off my debt, I had to take on apprentices.” he said. “Lying to myself by saying I could be happy that way. But how can I be happy when I’m not at the apex of the art world? How can I be happy when my own apprentices are surpassing me?!”

As the last signs of life left Yua’s body, Madarame pulled out his phone to contact the man who wished to purchase the Sayuri…

* * *

She was speechless. What she had just saw… there were no words to describe it.

“Holy shit…” Skull muttered.

“He… he left her there to…” Joker trailed off.

As the initial shock wore off, she quickly turned to Yusuke, seeing the horrified look on his face.

“No…” Yusuke whispered. “No… this isn’t… this has to be a lie! Madarame, my mother… and the Sayuri… it’s all a lie!”

Yusuke began to tremble, clutching his head.

Immediately, she ran over to him, trying to offer any comfort she could.

“It’s ok, it’s ok.” she gently said.

She was unsure what to say, or even if there was anything she could say to help him, considering he had just witnessed the death of his mother.

“Time to leave, everyone.” she gently said. “We’ll talk more about this later.”

They went back to the entrance of the palace, heading to the real world.

* * *

When they arrived, the first thing she noticed was the vacant stare in Yusuke’s eyes.

“Yusuke?” she asked. “If you need to speak, I can-”

“My apologies.” Yusuke said. “I… need some time to think. I thought I was ready to face the truth, but…”

“It’s alright.” she assured him. “Take as much time as you need.”

An air of melancholy seemed to around the entire group as they went their separate ways, all of them disturbed by what they had seen.

When she got home, she saw that Sae was working late, so she made sure to text her sister that she loved her before she went to bed, holding Mona close to her for comfort.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 3

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 1

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 2

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.3%


	20. A Mother's Love

**5/19 Thursday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 21**

She hadn't heard back from Yusuke since yesterday.

Of course, considering what they had just seen, she wasn’t surprised by that.

“So, you think we should wait a few days before sending the calling card?” Morgana asked.

“Yeah… that might be for the best.” she admitted.

After classes had ended for the day, she wandered the halls, looking for something to take her mind off of what occurred yesterday, eventually bumping into Ren.

“Oh, hey Makoto.” Ren muttered. “How’s it going?”

“I’ve been better.” she admitted. “What about you?”

“Same, honestly.” Ren admitted. “I’m just trying to find something to distract myself with.”

“Maybe we could visit the library.” she suggested. “We might find something there.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ren smiled.

The two Thieves set out for the library, hoping to find something they’d like.

“Oh, hello, Niijima-san.” the student librarian greeted. “And hello to… oh… you’re here too.”

As soon as her eyes landed on Ren, she immediately let out a scowl.

“Just don’t cause any trouble.” the librarian muttered.

She wanted to say something about her rudeness, but Ren seemed unfazed, moving to the bookshelves.

As she looked with him, she couldn’t help but frown when she heard some of the other students in the library.

“What’s that delinquent doing here…?”

“He’s not actually going to study, is he?”

“He probably cheated on his exams.”

“Wish those Phantom Thieves would change his heart.”

“Ren…” she trailed off.

“It’s fine.” Ren assured her.

She had her doubts that he was taking things in stride, however.

“Niijima-san should stay away from a guy like that. He’s just going to hurt her.”

She quickly glanced over at Ren, seeing the sad look on his face when he thought she wasn’t looking.

She turned to face the gossiping students, giving her fiercest glare.

“That’s enough!” she snapped. “This is a library, somewhere to read or study in quiet, and every student has the right to use it without being disturbed. If you can’t follow the rules, then leave!”

Most of the students immediately shut up, but when she turned to Ren, she saw that he was frowning.

“You… didn’t have to do that.” Ren muttered.

“I wanted to.” she said.

Deciding to cut their visit short, they both exited the library, but not before they heard more gossip.

“No wonder Niijima’s defending him. She’s always covering up for criminals, just like with Kamoshida.”

When they left the library, Ren turned to face her, a guilty expression on his face. “I’m sorry, Makoto.”

“Sorry for what?” she asked.

“They… they’re saying all of those horrible things about you because you’re sticking up for me.” Ren said.

“I don’t care what they have to say about me.” she told him. “I just don’t want them bothering you.”

“I can handle it.” Ren insisted. “And I know the gossip will bother you too.”

“I want to help you, Ren.” she told him. “Whether you can handle it or not doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have to handle it.”

“I just… don’t want to be a burden to you.” Ren muttered.

“A burden?” she repeated. “Ren, no, you could never be a burden.”

“But I’ve already taken so much of your time with the tutoring, and now you stuck up for me…” he trailed off. “And I attacked you in the Metaverse...

“That wasn’t your fault.” she told him. “Ren, you saved me several times too, and you’ve always supported me and helped me too. You’re not a burden. You’re… you’re my best friend, Ren.”

“R-Really?” Ren stammered. “I’m… your best friend?”

She beamed. “Yes, you are.”

“T-Thanks.” Ren said. “You’re my best friend too. W-Well, I mean, so is Ryuji… um, can I have multiple best friends?”

“Sure.” she smiled. “But no more talk about being a burden, ok? You’re anything but.”

“Ok.” Ren nodded. “It’s just…”

“Just what…?” she asked.

“...Nothing.” Ren muttered.

“No, it’s not nothing.” she insisted. “Ren, I told you that you can talk to me, ok? Or anyone that makes you comfortable, but you can’t keep all your feelings to yourself.”

Ren considered her a few moments.

“Please, Ren?” she asked. “You could talk to Maruki too, if that’s more comfortable.”

“N-No, that’s not… ok, I can tell you.” he relented. “You see… all the friends I had from back home… as soon as I got my assault charge, none of them wanted anything to do with me.”

He took out his phone, idly spinning it around. “I tried calling or texting them a few times when I got here, but none of them answered.”

“Didn’t you tell them the truth?” she asked.

“None of them believed me.” Ren sighed. “And, well, news spreads fast, so eventually my entire school… even my entire town knew.”

“The entire town?” she gasped.

“Well, I live in a very small country town about an hour or two from Tokyo.” he explained. “There’s only about 2000 people who live there. So… pretty much everyone knew what happened. The last month I spent in my hometown before moving… everyone would just stare at me and whisper behind my back. Guess it was silly to think that’d stop once I got to Tokyo, huh?”

“Oh, Ren…” she whispered. “That’s horrible.”

“I’ll be ok.” Ren said. “I’m worried about my mom, though. I hope she’s doing ok, and that no one’s giving her any grief over what I did.”

“Even now, he’s still thinking of others.” she mused. “He’s so kindhearted…”

A part of her wondered if there wasn’t a little more to his past he wasn’t talking about, but she wouldn’t push too much. Even getting him to open up to her a little was good.

“Thank you for trusting me with that.” she said. “I'll always be there to listen to if you need someone to talk to, ok?”

“Thanks.” Ren said. “I’ll be there for you too, Makoto.”

Once again, he gave her a small, but genuine small.

“He… has a really nice smile.” she thought to herself.

**FOOL CONFIDANT: RANK 4**

After speaking with Ren a little more, she went home for the day.

* * *

**5/20 Friday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 20**

As soon as she arrived at school, she saw a bunch of students gathered around the bulletin board, some of them with satisfied smiles, and others with dejected frowns.

“The exam scores must be in.” she thought.

She couldn’t help but give a satisfied grin when she saw her name at the top spot in her grade. All of her studying had once again paid off.

Right below her was Chiaki, her score just a tiny bit lower.

She continued looking through the list, frowning as her eyes landed on Eiko’s score.

It… wasn’t the worst score on the list, but it was still slightly below average. Well, she would still treat her to sweets like she promised.

Taking a peek at the scores of the second years, she smiled when she saw that Ren had scored above average, and Ryuji…

Well, she was sure he tried his best.

Curious as to how the first years did, she glanced at their scores, her eyes widening when she saw who was at the top.

Aiko Takao.

“That’s Eiko’s brother…” she mused. “Eiko wasn’t kidding when she said he was a prodigy.”

“Tch… second place again.”

She saw Chiaki nearby, scowling as she saw her score on the bulletin board.

Chiaki glanced around, her eyes narrowing when they landed on her.

“Niijima… I suppose you're proud of yourself.” Chiaki scoffed.

“Hello, Yasui-san.” she said. “Congratulations on doing so well on your exams.”

“Whatever.” Chiaki muttered. “Just remember that we have a council meeting today. I’m sure you can’t wait to unveil that budget of yours.”

As the other girls walked off, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh. She wished she knew what her problem was.

* * *

After the school day had ended, she went to the council room, the others already there.

“Niijima-sempai!” Kayo chirped.

“You’re right on time.” Daichi told her. “We were just about to finalize the budget.”

“I see. Did any of you have any final suggestions?” she asked.

“Doesn’t really matter anymore.” Chiaki grumbled. “It’s your decision.”

“Well, I wanted all of you to have some input. With Kamoshida gone, the budget will probably be a lot different this year.” she acknowledged.

“The principal usually makes us give most of the funds to the volleyball team, but I guess we’ve got a lot more freedom to distribute funds now.” Daichi said.

“The principal’s been pushing more and more work on us since the Kamoshida incident.” Kayo sighed. “He was also asking me about the Phantom Thieves earlier.”

“He was?!” she exclaimed.

“Did he ask you too, Prez?” Daichi asked. “He wanted us all to keep on the lookout for any suspicious behavior.”

“This is getting ridiculous.” Chiaki scoffed. “Are these Phantom Thieves even real?”

“I don’t know, but if they are real, then I’m kinda afraid.” Kayo admitted. “I mean, Kamoshida deserved it and everything, but what if they start going after the students… or us?”

“...We’re ok.”

Everyone turned towards Akemi, who seemed to shrink under the attention.

“What makes you say that, Akemi-kun?” Kayo asked.

“T-They… went after Kamoshida… because of his crimes.” Akemi whispered. “I don’t think… many students here have done things like him…”

“In any case, hopefully now that we have a councilor, hopefully students will feel more comfortable speaking out.” Makoto brought up. “And we need to let them know that we’re here for them too. I promise that I won’t let anything happen to them… or to any of you, either.”

The other council members seemed to cheer up after hearing her say that… all except for Chiaki, who still seemed skeptical.

After much deliberation, they finalized the details for the yearly budget, creating a detailed plan that she would present to the principal soon.

As she exited the council room, however, she ran into Chiaki.

“What’s your game, Niijima?” Chiaki asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve worked with you on the student council since last year, but you weren't acting like yourself at all.” Chiaki brought up.

“Not acting like myself?” she asked.

“You want to know why I don’t like you, Niijima?” Chiaki snapped. “It’s because you’re a suck up. A teacher’s pet. I figured that you didn’t give a damn about the other students. You just did whatever the teachers told you.”

A teacher’s pet…

She recalled Kamoshida’s cognition of her, scowling as the thought entered her head.

“I did care about them!” she snapped.

She could feel her rage building at Chiaki’s accusations, but she couldn’t lose her cool. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“You’re the student council president.” Chiaki pointed out. “If any of us were in a position to help the other students, it would be you. If you had done something sooner, none of this might have happened.”

“And what did you do?” she responded.

“…The teachers don’t listen to me like they do you.” Chiaki muttered. “You’re their favorite. Everyone’s favorite.”

“Chiaki… listen, ok.” she began. “I know I could have done more and sooner. But I honestly thought that all of the staff had the best intentions for the student body. I suppose that the Kamoshida incident was a bit of a wake-up call.”

“Is that so?” Chiaki asked.

“So, if you’re wondering why I’m ‘acting different’, it’s because I want to do everything that I can to help the students… even if it’s something that the principal doesn’t necessarily agree with.”

“I see… well, hopefully you’re telling the truth and have actually grown a backbone.” Chiaki said. “Guess I’ve got no choice but to trust in you for now.”

She knew that it was a shaky trust at best, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

**TOWER CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

With the meeting finished, she went home for the day, hoping that they could finally finish the infiltration tomorrow.

* * *

**5/21 Saturday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 19**

She had made sure to text the others, letting them all know to meet her at Leblanc.

Today, they were going to steal Madarame’s treasure.

When she arrived at Leblanc, Ren and Ryuji were already there waiting for her.

“So, we doin’ this today?” Ryuji asked.

“We are.” she confirmed. “Unfortunately, we can’t afford to wait long. I texted Yusuke to meet us, but…”

“Yusuke still isn’t here?” Ren asked.

“We could wait a bit, but we might just need to do this without him.” Mona suggested.

“There’s no need for that.”

Everyone turned around, seeing Yusuke at the entrance to the attic.

“Yusuke!” she gasped. “Are you sure you're fine to come with us?”

“I have resolved myself to face the truth, no matter what it may be.” Yusuke told them. “I will confront Madarame and ask him what happened on that day.”

The blue haired artist walked up to them, placing something on the table.

“And besides, I thought that my talents would be quite valuable in the next step of our operation.” Yusuke stated. “A calling card, correct? What a suave maneuver.”

She glanced at the calling card on the table. The design was seemingly based on their old calling card, but much better looking than what they had made.

“I didn’t wish to make something of my own creation, as Madarame knows my style well.” Yusuke explained. “So I simply based it on your old design.”

“Aw man, that looks sick!” Ryuji grinned.

“Will Madarame take this seriously?” Yusuke wondered. “He’s received numerous angry letters before.”

“But this one will have all of the crimes that he knows he committed.” Ren pointed out. “That’ll get him to panic.”

“All that’s left to do is to write the message and place it.” she said. “Let’s begin.”

* * *

Hidden from view, the thieves watched at the gallery as a member of the exhibit staff approached Madarame.

“U-Um, sir, you might want to look at this…” the man said. “We… found a bunch of these outside.”

“A letter?” Madarame muttered, reading it to himself.

_“Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vainglory whose talent has been exhausted. You are a sham of an artist who uses your authority to shamelessly steal the ideas from and abuse your pupils. We have decided to make you confess to all of your crimes, and will take your distorted desires without fail.”_

_“From, the Phantom Thieves.”_

An enraged Madarame crumbled up the letter in his hands.

“Who’s responsible for this?!” Madarame snapped.

“We don’t know, sir!” the staff member said. “These cards are posted all over the place.”

“Didn’t the security cameras pick anything up?” Madarame asked.

“There weren't any signs of a culprit… all we saw was a cat!” the man said.

“Then just get rid of them right now!” Madarame yelled.

“Yes sir.” the staff member nodded. “Err, but… how will this affect the exhibit? When the media hears about this…”

“Are you implying that this slander is true?!” Madarame scowled.

“Of course not!” the staff member quickly said.

Seeing Madarame’s reaction to the calling card, they left the area, meeting outside the gallery.

“So, will that do?” Yusuke asked.

“That’s perfect!” Morgana grinned. “Now’s the time to strike!”

“That old man better enjoy his freedom while it lasts!” Ryuji grinned. “People online are already talkin’ about the calling card.”

“We only have one shot at this, so we need to be careful.” Ren pointed out.

Makoto nodded. “Let’s move out, everyone.”

* * *

“Would you hurry up, Inmate?”

Startled out of her thoughts, she went over her remaining personas once again, having gone to the Velvet Room to prepare for any potential fights.

She still had her Incubus from way back when… its life drain skill was nice, but just looking at it made her really want to get rid of it.

She had also recruited a Shiisha, which had just learned how to better dodge electric moves.

They both seemed ok, but she worried that neither would be particularly helpful going forward.

“Maybe… fuse these two?” she asked.

The twins nodded, performing the fusion.

When she saw the result, she couldn’t help but let out a satisfied smile.

“This one will do nicely.”

* * *

They made their way back to the treasure room. Queen went to the control room, Mona and Fox going to the crane, and Joker and Skull going to the crane controls.

“You seem to be enjoying this.” Fox noted.

“It’s moments like this when you really feel like a Phantom Thief!” Mona grinned.

As she saw everyone getting into position, she shut off the lights in the room.

“Joker, now!” Yusuke called.

Joker activated the crane, lowering Mona down to the painting.

Mona quickly grabbed the painting and pulled it up to them, all of them meeting in the crane room.

“Treasure secured!” Mona boasted. “Now let’s get out of here!”

“Heh, that was easier than I thought!” Ryuji grinned.

They made it to the courtyard that had previously held all of the inferred lasers before Mona began acting strange.

“Mrrrr… Meowwww…” Mona purred.

“Um, why’s Mona purring… you know, besides the obvious?” Joker wondered.

“I can’t take it anymore!” Mona cried. “I need to see the treasure!”

“Come on, can’t you wait until we get out of here first?” Skull said.

“Hold on, maybe we should look at it.” she argued. “It’s been covered by cloth this entire time, so we should make sure that this is actually the treasure.”

They removed the cloth… only to discover that it was a fake.

“Huh?!” Mona gasped.

“The hell? This is the treasure?” Skull questioned.

“Everyone, watch out!” Yusuke yelled.

Everyone jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding getting trapped by an electric fence.

“Meddlesome vermin…”

Madarame approached them, holding a painting in his hands.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” Madarame scoffed.

“How dare you try to trap me!” Morgana glared.

“I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that a plagiarist would have a fake ready.” Joker said.

“Counterfeits are accepted in the world of Japanese art.” Madarame stated.

“So, you came out here just to gloat?” she scoffed. “You really are full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Why, Madarame?!” Yusuke exclaimed. “Is your desire to become famous so great that you would trample over the lives of all of your pupils like my mother? Can’t you understand how much it pains me to learn about the crimes of my foster father?!”

“Yua…” Madarame trailed off. “I remember that the reason I took you in was due to my ties with her. Even after her husband died, she never lost her passion for painting. Her love for painting was second only to her love for you. Her skills were extraordinary… and now all of her art, and the art of her son, is mine!”

“You piece of shit!” Ryuji scowled.

“I shall give you one final gift before you die.” Madarame said, before revealing his treasure. “The real Sayuri!”

The painting depicted the woman from the other version of the painting, only now she was looking lovingly at a blue haired baby in her arms.

“Mom…” Yusuke gasped.

“So you know.” Madarame said. “I figured that if I made a few adjustments to this painting and announced it under my name, I would be famous! I painted over the baby, to make the mother’s expression a mystery. And all of the parasitic art critics ate it up!”

“You’re despicable!” Yusuke spat. “How can you even call yourself an artist?!”

“Say what you will, but now that you are of no use to me, I will reap you and your friends!”

“You… you treat everyone around you like objects!” Makoto yelled.

“And when they are of no use to you, you destroy them.” Fox stated, his body shaking. “Does that include my mother as well? Did you… let my mother die?”

“Come now, Yusuke.” Madarame said. “I’ve done nothing of the sort. Isn’t that right, dear?”

She gasped as she saw a young woman approaching them.

“Mother…” Yusuke trailed off.

“Yusuke…” Yua said. “It’s been so long. Come, Yusuke. Forget this Thief nonsense for now and come with me.”

“It’s just a cognition!” Mona called. “Don’t fall for it!”

“Just when I thought he couldn’t sink any lower…” Queen mused, glaring at Madarame.

A silence fell over the entire group, everyone waiting for Yusuke’s response.

To everyone’s surprise, Yusuke gave a soft chuckle. “I must thank you, Madarame. You’ve erased all doubt from my mind.”

“Oh?” Madarame said. “Well, good. Now why don’t you stop this-”

“Any doubt I had about your treachery is no more!” Fox yelled. “You are no artist. You are a wretched fiend who wears the skin of an artist!”

“How dare you!” Madarame roared. “I am the God of the art world! I make the rules, and everyone else follows! Anyone who disobeys shall be sacrificed!”

“Everyone, get back!” Mona warned.

Madarame’s body began to morph, transforming him into four separate statues of the arms, legs, chest, and head of a red horned demon with black, feathery wings. The statue depicting the demon’s hands wielded sharp paintbrushes.

The cognition of Yusuke’s mother ran off, as the Thieves readied themselves for battle.

“You’re all nothing but sacrificial lambs to me!” Madarame roared. “I shall grace this world with my art!”

Madarame tried to slash at them with his paintbrushes, which they swiftly dodged.

“Try this!” Mona cried, preparing a counterattack. “Magaru!”

Sharp winds struck every one of the statues, but while the body, legs, and face took minor damage, the arms seemed to drain the attack.

“What?! It absorbed it?!” Mona exclaimed.

“We’ll have to avoid multi target moves.” Makoto noted. “Mona, go for the legs!”

“Got it!” Mona replied.

But before he could cast his spell, the arms went on the offense, drawing a green whirlwind on a canvas, which suddenly materialized and rushed towards them.

“Maelstrom!” Madarame shouted as they were assaulted by the winds.

Most of them managed to endure, but Ryuji was blown off of his feet.

“Come on, you just took a Garu spell and gave it a fancy name!” Mona snapped. “Not even your attacks are original!”

Mona rushed to heal Ryuji, but the arms tried to cast another spell to stop him.

“Fox, stop those arms!” she commanded.

Fox nodded, attempting the slash at the arms, only for the chest to block his strike, recovering damage in the process.

“So this one absorbs physical blows.” Fox muttered.

“Silent Snowscape!” Madarame road, pelting Ryuji and Morgana with ice.

“Mona! Skull! Are you-AHH!

The head rammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

“J-Johanna!” she desperately called. “Frei!”

She fired a nuclear blast at the head, only for the head to grin at her as it absorbed it.

“Eiha!”

Dark flames blasted the head, knocking the head to the ground.

“You ok?” Joker asked, helping her up.

“Thanks.” she said. “This battle is going to be tough. They keep covering each other's weaknesses.”

“How dare you!” Madarame yelled.

The arms coated their paint brushes with black paint before slashing at them.

“Queen, look out!” Joker called.

She jumped out of the way, but Ren wasn’t fast enough, getting coated in black paint.

“W-Why do I feel so weak…?” Ren muttered.

“Joker, what’s wrong?!” she exclaimed.

“Flame dance!” Madarame yelled.

“AAAHHHH!” Ren screamed.

Scarlet red flames surrounded Ren, engulfing his body.

“Joker!” Queen cried.

“What the hell! Joker’s persona isn’t weak to fire!” Mona said. “It shouldn’t cause that much damage!”

“It’s the paint! It’s weakening him!” Fox realized.

“Hahaha!” Madarame howled. “Now try this! Maelstrom!”

Razor-sharp winds soared towards Joker, who was still too weak to move.

She jumped in front of him, taking the attack in his stead.

“Queen!” Joker yelled.

...But when the winds died down, she still stood there, no worse for wear.

She passed Joker some medicine, smiling at him.

“Looks like… I was right on time.” she said.

“How?! You took damage from that attack before!” Madarame pointed out.

“This is how...” she said. “Matador!”

A skeletal matador with a red capote and sword was summoned forth.

“Double Shot!” Makoto commanded.

Matador waved his capote, firing two shots towards Madarame’s head.

“GRAHHH!” Madarame cried out in pain. “You little brat! Thunderclap!”

Madarame fired several thunderbolts in her direction, but Matador’s skill and agility made it easy for her to dodge the attacks, and fire back with bullets.

“How hard is it to hit one skeleton?!” Madarame raged.

Seeing the head start to struggle, the body moved to intercept, only for her to switch tactics.

“Life Drain!” she yelled, draining the chest of its energy and stopping it from blocking attacks.

While the skill was weak, she was confident that none of the body parts could resist it.

The head moved to ram her again, only for Ren to stop it with his bullets.

“Fox, Skull, the arms!” Joker yelled.

Fox and Skull nodded, striking the arms with their strongest physical attacks while Morgana kept the legs away with Garu spells.

The force of both Fox and Skull’s attacks were too much for the arms, which dissolved into black ooze.

“All right! One down!” Joker cheered.

“Hah! Do you really think that would be enough!” Madarame gloated.

The other three statues began to glow, and much to their shock, the arms were revived.

“Oh come on!” Ryuji complained. “He can revive them?!”

“We’ll have to take them all out at once!” Mona advised.

“Just taking out one of them was rough.” Makoto muttered. “How are we going to take out all four?”

Yusuke glanced around the battlefield, trying to find something to help them.

Seeing a paint bucket out of the corner of his eye, he quickly ran towards it.

“Fox, where are you going?” Makoto called.

“Gather all the statues together! Trust me!” Yusuke replied.

Deciding to place her trust in him, Makoto and the others gathered around, surrounding the other statues.

“Away with you!” Madarame exclaimed.

Just as Madarame went to strike, Fox tossed the paint bucket, covering all of the statues with black paint.

“Everyone, strike now!” Yusuke yelled. “The paint has weakened him!”

They all stuck the stautes with their strongest attacks, causing Madarame to cry out in pain.

All of the statues fell to the ground, dissolving into black ooze, before Madarame himself crawled out of the ooze.

“There he is!” Mona called. “We’ve got him cornered!”

“Damn you all! I am the great Madarame! Why don’t you understand?!” Madarame vented.

“Enough of your ranting!” Yusuke snapped. “Feel the wrath of everyone you have wronged!”

All five of the Thieves struck Madarame with a barrage of bullets and spells.

“GRAH! You…” Madarame muttered.

“It’s over, Madarame.” Yusuke said.

“Enough! How dare you come into my museum and call me a plagiarist! I told you that I am the God of the art world!” Madarame repeated. “If you can’t fathom that, then I shall show you my master craft!”

Madarame summoned forth copies of himself, each one wearing different robes representing a different element.

“More copies… I should have known.” Ren snarked.

“Now for my masterpiece!” Madarame declared. “Madara-megido!”

Madarame drew a purple orb of almighty energy that rushed towards them before exploding.

They braced themselves for a powerful attack, but found it to be surprisingly underwhelming, dealing minimal damage.

“You went through all the trouble to announce such a weak attack?” she questioned. “You even named it after yourself!”

“Was a good pun, though.” Joker whispered.

“Silence!” Madarame snapped.

“If their elements are like ours...Mona, go for the yellow one.” she ordered. “Skull, the green, Joker, the blue, and Fox, the r-”

“I’ll handle Madarame.” Fox declared.

“...Ok. I trust you.” she replied. “Jack Frost! Bufu!”

She shot chunks of ice at the red Madarame, easily dispatching it. While the other Madarames tried to put up a fight, they were no match for the other Thieves. Mona and Skull easily beat their opponents by exploiting their weaknesses, and Joker simply overpowered his opponent with curse spells.

Meanwhile, Yusuke charged at Madarame, his blade ready.

“G-Get back!” Madarame stammered, beginning to panic.

He attempted to create more clones, but they came out much weaker this time, and seemed to be suffering numerous ailments.

“W-What? I… made a mistake?!” Madarame said in disbelief.

“So, is this the extent of the ‘God of the art world’s’ skill?” Yusuke mocked. “Pathetic.”

He effortlessly cut down the new copies before turning his blade on the real Madarame.

Madarame paled. “M-Madara-meg-”

“You waste your breath!” Fox shouted. “Goemon!”

Goemon blew into his pipe, sending chilling winds that blew Madarame away, crashing into a wall and collapsing on the floor.

The battle was over.

Yusuke calmly walked towards Madarame, who clutched the Sayuri for dear life.

“Y-Yusuke, please.” Madarame begged. “No one cares for true art like mine… all they want are brand names! I thought I could get by in the art world with just passion, but without money, I could do nothing.”

Yusuke’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m a victim in this too!” Madarame insisted. “I was so poor I couldn’t even feed myself. I borrowed money from shady people to keep myself alive. I just didn’t want to return to that life!”

Yusuke grit his teeth, grabbing Madarame by the collar and lifting him into the air.

“And what of all your apprentices?!” Yusuke exclaimed. “Do you think they want to be penniless and on the streets because you crushed their dreams?!”

“B-But…”

“What of my mother?! Do you think she wanted to die?!” Yusuke continued. “I looked up to you as a father… only to find out that you murdered my mother!”

“I-It was a moment of weakness!” Madarame stuttered. “I hesitated, knowing that I could leave her to die, but that moment was all it took! It was too late to go back!”

“You… I will end you… and this wretched world!” Fox declared.

“P-Please, don’t kill me!” Madarame pleaded.

“Fox!” she called.

Fox scowled, forcibly dropping Madarame to the ground.

“Return to yourself in reality and confess your crimes and apologize to the people you’ve wronged- every last one.” Yusuke ordered.

“Y-You won’t kill me…?” Madarame asked.

“Swear it!” Yusuke demanded.

“Ok, ok, I will!” Madarame quickly said. “But you have to do something about the other intruder who was here before. The one with the black mask!”

“Black mask?” she questioned. “There’s someone else who can enter the Metaverse?”

“He’s going to kill me here!” Madarame cried. “You have to do something!”

“Give us your treasure then!” Mona ordered. “Then this place will disappear, and whoever this black mask guy is won’t get you.”

“Don’t worry about the real world either.” Makoto glared. “I’m sure the prison you’re going to will have plenty of security.”

“Y-Yes, of course.” Madarame muttered, placing the painting on the floor.

Someone grabbed it before them, however.

“Yusuke… I’m glad that I got to see you again.”

Yusuke gasped.

“Look at how much my baby boy has grown.” Yua smiled. “You’ve even taller than me now. And so handsome… I bet the girls your age think so too!”

“Mother… I...”

“It looks like you have a wonderful group of friends, too.” Yua said, before turning towards the others. “Thank you for watching out for my Yusuke.”

Yua handed the painting to Yusuke, before bringing him into a hug.

“I wanted to give you that painting for so long.” Yua whispered. “Whenever you feel afraid or hurt, I want you to look at that painting, and remember that I will always love you.”

Yusuke said nothing, quivering slightly as he returned the hug.

It broke her heart to end this moment, but they didn’t have much time. “Yusuke… the palace.”

Yusuke broke the hug, taking the Sayuri into his hands. “Mother… Your painting inspired me to become an artist. It kept me going on my darkest days. One day… I shall become as good an artist as you, and make something I can be proud of.”

“That’s wonderful, Yusuke.” Yua smiled. “Will you show me your painting when it’s finished?”

Yusuke hesitated, a conflicted look on his face, before nodding.

“I have to go now. Goodbye, mother…”

Yusuke took one final look at his mother before escaping the palace as it disappeared forever...

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 3

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 2

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 2

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 2

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 1

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 2

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 7.3%


	21. Crimes Unbecoming of an Artist

The destination has been deleted.

“It looks like… we succeeded.” she said.

“It’d be bad if people saw us hanging around here.” Morgana pointed out. “We should leave.”

“Goodbye, sensei…” Yusuke muttered as they walked away.

They walked a few blocks away from Madarame’s shack before Yusuke took out the painting to look at.

“That’s definitely the treasure.” Morgana noted.

“I guess all we have to do is to wait for a change of heart.” Ryuji shrugged.

“The Sayuri… at least my mother didn’t know what transpired after her death.” Yusuke said.

“It’s a wonderful painting.” She complimented. “And now it’s finally in the right hands.”

“I’m thankful for that.” Yusuke smiled. “But I can’t help but wonder… would my mother have acted similarly to the one in Madarame’s palace?”

“She was a cognition.” Morgana brought up.

“But she was based on what Madarame thought of her.” she mentioned. “I think… that even he knew how much your mother loved you.”

“Perhaps you’re right.” Yusuke nodded, a small smile on his face. “Either way, I know that I must inherit my mother’s wishes and continue to improve myself as an artist.”

“Well, we’re gonna keep targetin’ big shots.” Ryuji said. “What about you?”

“I have to ask… why did you decide to form the Phantom Thieves?” Yusuke asked.

“Well… it’s to get back at scumbags, and, well, the society that lets them be scumbags!” Ryuji passionately explained. “And to give courage to everyone who’s sufferin’ because of them!”

“The courage to speak up against injustice, correct? Yusuke asked. “Will that make them happy?”

“Not sure.” Ren admitted. “But I think that, if we all work together and help those in need, those injustices won’t happen nearly as much.”

“My sense of justice would never allow me to ignore someone who’s suffering.” Makoto added.

“I suppose that I also suffered because of Madarame’s selfishness.” Yusuke acknowledged. “It would be good to help others who have suffered like me. Not to mention… the Metaverse can be quite stimulating when I’m looking for inspiration for my art.”

“Man, you sure are dedicated to art, huh?” Ryuji chucked.

“Welcome to the team, Yusuke.” she beamed. “We’re happy to have you.”

“I’ll try to live up to your expectations.” Yusuke promised.

“Now that that’s settled… I was curious about that other intruder that Madarame mentioned.” Morgana brought up.

“All we know about him is that he wears a black mask…” Makoto mentioned.

“Well, like we said, he won’t be able to go back to the palace. It’s gone now.” Ryuji said.

“I’ll try and check up on Madarame, and see if I can glean any information from him.” Yusuke offered.

“Thank you.” she expressed. “And great work everyone! I’ll see you all later!

Their work finished, she went home for the day.

* * *

As she was getting ready for bed, Morgana hopped up next to her, an excited grin on his face.

“Not only did we deal with our second big target, but we also have a new member!” Morgana exclaimed. “Things are going so well!”

“They certainly are.” she agreed. “I was a little worried at first, but everything turned out ok.”

“In no small part to my expert guidance!” Morgana boasted.

“I suppose you were quite helpful.” she confessed. “Maybe Sae could take us out for sushi one day? What do you think?”

“Sushi! I want sushi!” Morgana exclaimed.

“I guess that’s a yes.” she giggled.

“I just wish a certain bonehead would understand how useful I am.” Morgana snickered.

“Be nice.” she warned. “You two need to behave yourselves.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Morgana sighed. “Anyway, I have to say, you’re pretty special, Makoto. Since I ran into you, we’ve run into multiple persona users!”

“I’m just glad we were able to help Yusuke.” she told him.

“Having an eye for beauty is a good skill for a thief.” the not-cat praised. “He’s a little strange, but he really made our calling card come to life!”

“He is quite a talented artist.” she agreed.

“An artist…” Morgana muttered. “I wonder what kind of persona I was when I was human. I mean, I couldn’t have been a bad guy, right?”

“It would be hard to imagine.” she nodded.

“What about you? What do you want to be?” Morgana asked.

“Me?” she said. “Well… to tell the truth, I’m a little unsure about my future.”

“And I’m unsure about my past.” Morgana added. “Well, I’m sure we’ll eventually figure things together.”

“Of course. We’re a team, after all!” she chirped.

“And what a great team we are!” Morgana cheered.

An unlikely pair, sure, but she really did feel like the two of them made a great team.

**MAGICIAN CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

“Well, I suppose it's time for bed.” she mentioned.

“Hehehe… I’m glad I’m staying with you.” Morgana laughed. “If I was with Ren or Ryuji, I’d probably have to force them to go to bed every day!”

She let out a laugh before resting her head on her pillow, drifting to sleep.

* * *

When she woke up, she found herself back in the Velvet Room.

She got up, seeing Igor with his signature grin.

“You have expelled one who was stained with vainglory.” Igor said. “You are now one step closer to your rehabilitation. What a joyous occasion.”

“Our master is pleased.” Justine said. “You should be honored.”

“About Madarame… he said something about another person able to enter the Metaverse.” she recalled. “Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“That is beyond my knowledge.” Igor coolly said.

Did he really have no idea? He was the one who had given her and her friends the Metaverse app. Did the person in the black mask have a different method of getting there, or something else…?

“All you need to focus on right now is your rehabilitation. I have high hopes for you.” Igor grinned.

Either way, he seemed to have a lot of faith in her, at least.

**HUNGER CONFIDANT: RANK 4**

Their meeting finished, she went back to the bed in her cell and shut her eyes.

* * *

**5/22 Sunday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 18**

As today was not a school day, she decided to relax at home, studying for a bit before reading the romance manga she had gotten.

Purely for research purposes, of course!

“Oh? Hoping you’ll find your special someone like the girl in the manga.” Morgana laughed.

“H-Hey! Don’t peek!” she stammered, blushing. “I, um, well… it’s not my top priority at the moment, but…”

“But what?” Mona asked.

“I suppose… the idea of having someone special in my life sounds nice.” she said, giving a soft smile. “But it’s really just an idea. I honestly still feel like I don’t know much about relationships, platonic or otherwise.”

“Well, you could always ask for advice.” Morgana suggested.

“I suppose you’re right.” she acknowledged.

After finishing her manga, she felt her phone buzz.

Sojiro: Hey, you got a minute? We could use some help.

Seeing as she was free for the day, she quickly replied.

Makoto: Be there as fast as I can!

She took the subway over to Leblanc, listening to the news along the way, hearing the news reporter talking about a restaurant…

“An employee at Big Bang Burger recently committed suicide, allegedly from working a severe amount of overtime. This is just the latest in a string of controversies plaguing Okumura Foods, which many people claim hold little to no regard for their employees. Such as just a few weeks ago, where...”

She knew of Big Bang Burger before, of course, considering how popular it was, though she didn’t really go there often, considering how unhealthy it was.

However...

“Okumura Foods again…” she mused. “There was that one girl from school… Haru Okumura, I think. I wonder what she thinks about all of this...”

She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however, as the subway arrived at Yongen-Jaya.

She made her way to Leblanc, ready to start her shift.

* * *

After a particularly busy and tiring day, she finally finished her shift for the day with help from Ren and Sojiro.

“Good job today, you two.” Sojiro praised.

“Thank you, Boss.” Makoto beamed.

“I heard that the two of you got your exam scores the other day.” Sojiro mentioned, before turning to Ren. “So how’d you do?”

“I did pretty good.” Ren smiled. “Got above the average.”

Sojiro turned to her, quirking an eyebrow.

“He’s telling the truth.” she giggled. “And I did pretty good as well.”

“Come on Boss, you can trust me.” Ren insisted.

“Alright, alright.” Sojiro said. “Which reminds me, I think it’s time for you two to learn a bit more about brewing coffee.”

“Really? Hold on!” she quickly said, before pulling out a notepad. “Ok, I'm ready.”

“Studious as ever, huh?” Ren chuckled.

“You’d better listen too.” Sojiro warned. “First off, there are three factors that determine the flavor for coffee: grind, heat, and time. Firstly, we have the grind. For the siphons we have here, we’re aiming for medium fine.”

“Medium fine…” Makoto softly repeated to himself as she wrote down more notes.

“Make sure you two remember this. I don’t want any of my customers being served crap coffee.” Sojiro said.

Both of them nodded.

“Ok, so next up is-”

*Ring Ring*

Sojiro picked up the phone, gasping as soon as he heard the voice on the other line.

“How’d you get this number?” Sojiro asked.

The person on the other said something, but she couldn’t make out what it was.

“You want it right now?” Sojiro asked. “Where are we meeting?”

After a few moments, Sojiro let out a sigh. “...Fine.”

He hung up and set down the phone. “Sorry you two. Something came up.”

“Is everything ok, Boss?” she asked.

“Nothing bad, right?” Ren added.

“Heh, are you two worried about me?” Sojiro chuckled. “...It’s nothing that the two of you need to concern yourselves with. Anyway, you can head home now, Niijima-san.”

“Want me to close up shop, Boss?” Ren asked.

“Yeah. Clean the dishes while I’m gone too.” Sojiro said.

“Um… I don’t mean to be rude, but…” she trailed off.

“Oh right, your pay…” Sojiro realized. “Right…”

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Money’s going to be tight for a bit.” Sojiro told her.

“You could pay me later.” she suggested.

Sojiro sighed. “No, I couldn’t do that. Here.”

He handed her her pay for the day.

“Thanks again for the help. Next time I’ll teach you more about brewing.” Sojiro promised.

**HIEROPHANT CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

After he left, she turned to Ren, a concerned look on her face.

“He said that money was tight, right?” she said.

“I know he’s taking care of me, but he gets paid for that.” Ren said. “He hasn’t mentioned anything about a family, so I think it’s just him.”

“This place has been very popular as of late.” she noted. “The amount of business this place gets should be enough for him to support himself.”

“Yeah, I wonder why he’s having money problems.” Ren said. “Hey… you don’t think…”

“That that person on the phone has something to do with it?” she finished.

“Just what I was thinking.” Ren nodded. “I remember a suspicious man showing here a few weeks ago. But I don’t think Sojiro would tell me anything if I asked.”

“Well, if it gets to the point where… we might need to intervene…”

“I’ll tell you if it gets to that point.” Ren promised.

“Well, just be careful, ok? See you tomorrow, Ren.”

“Yeah. See you.”

Her shift over, she went home for the day.

* * *

**5/23 Monday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 17**

As soon as she woke up, she saw that she had gotten a text from Yusuke in the group chat.

Yusuke: I managed to speak to Madarame.

She quickly replied.

Makoto: Really? Did you learn anything?

Yusuke: Unfortunately, Madarame hasn't been feeling well. Most of what he’s been saying has just been incoherent rambling.

Makoto: I see…

Ren: Didn’t Kamoshida take a few days off after we changed his heart?

Ryuji: Yeah, maybe it just makes people sick for a few days or something.

Makoto: I suppose that taking away his distorted desires would have a very big effect on people.

Yusuke: So this is normal, then? I see.

Makoto: We just need to keep waiting for now.

Yusuke: Very well. I will contact you if there are any updates.

She turned to Morgana, who had been playing close attention to the conversation.

“It did take a few days for the change of heart to fully effect Kamoshida.” Morgana reminded her. “It’s probably the same thing here.”

She nodded. “When you put it like, it makes sense.”

With nothing left to do but wait, she got ready for school.

* * *

After classes ended for the day, she saw Eiko talking to another student.

“I saw your exam scores… and so did Mom and Dad.” the other student said.

“Oh…” Eiko trailed off. “Well, I did much better than last time, Aiko!”

“Doing slightly better than abysmal isn't an accomplishment.” Aiko coldly said. “A failure is still a failure, in the end.”

“O-Oh…” Eiko whispered.

“The only thing you're accomplished with your pitiful score is reinforce our parent’s belief that you're a lost cause.” Aiko harshly said.

“I... I…” Eiko stammered.

She wasn’t going to sit back and listen to any more of this.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

“Niijima-sempai.” Aiko greeted. “I was just speaking with my sister about family matters.”

“That’s funny, because it sounds like you were insulting her.” she pointed out.

“I was just stating facts.” Aiko muttered.

“Makoto…” Eiko muttered.

“Just don’t let me catch you talking like that to her again.” she warned.

“Fine.” Aiko muttered, leaving the two girls alone.

“Eiko… that’s your brother?” she asked. “Why does he talk to you like that?”

“It’s… complicated.” Eiko muttered.

“Is… everything ok, Eiko?” Makoto asked, concerned.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Eiko insisted.

“Hey… I promised we’d go for sweets, right? Makoto asked.

“Maybe another time…” Eiko mumbled. “I don’t feel up to it right now.”

Eiko walked off, leaving her alone.

“Maybe we should give her some space for now.” Morgana suggested.

“I suppose.” she sighed. “I just can’t help but worry…”

“You’re still a little on edge, aren’t you?” the not-cat observed.

“A little.” she admitted. “Maybe I’ll go and see the councilor. You think he’d mind?”

“I mean, it is his job.” Morgana pointed out.

“I suppose you’re right.” Makoto said. “Alright, I’ll go and see him.”

* * *

“Oh, Niijima-san, hello!” Maruki greeted. “Did you need something?”

“I wanted some advice.” she told him. “Advice about… relationships.”

“Really?” Maruki asked. “Normally it’s boys who ask me for advice on that.”

“N-Not just romantic!” she stammered, beginning to blush. “I meant in general. Friends, family… any type of relationship.”

“I see.” Maruki nodded. “Has something come up?”

“Well… I suppose that there’s just been a lot on my mind lately.” she told him.

“I can imagine. Balancing studying, friends, and your council duties must be very challenging.” Maruki told her.

She nodded.

“It seems like a lot of students and teachers rely on you.” Maruki frowned. “Some of it seems rather absurd, even. Like, say… an investigation into the Phantom Thieves.”

“T-That’s… um…” she stammered.

He must have heard about that from one of the other staff members.

“But what about you? Do you have an adult or an authority figure you can rely on?” Maruki asked.

She thought it over for a few moments, but it didn’t take long for her to come up with an answer.

“...No, I don’t.” she whispered.

“R-Really? That’s quite surprising.” Maruki gasped. “Didn’t you mention that you had a sister?”

“I do, but… after our parents died, she started working very hard to support me. It would be selfish and unrealistic of me to rely on her more than I do.” she said.

“But what makes it unrealistic and selfish?” Maruki asked. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting someone who will support you.”

“Sis already-”

“Not just financially. Emotionally too.” Maruki pointed out. “I think that, in an ideal relationship, be it familial, platonic, or romantic in nature, would have both parties be able to rely on, support, and trust one another. To treat each other like equals.”

“Like equals…” she repeated. “I… think that I can understand, but I suppose I’ve been a little guarded for some time. Even now, it’s hard to talk to you about what’s on my mind.”

“Well, I’m glad that you’re talking to me now.” Maruki said. “Bottling up things like that isn't healthy, after all.”

She knew that much. She also knew that opening up to others would make them more comfortable with opening up to her, but…

“I guess… it felt like I would be burdening others by telling them about my problems.”

“Niijima-san, you deserve to be happy.” Maruki said. “And you deserve to have people you can trust and rely on just like how so many people rely on you.”

She let out a small smile. “Yeah… you might be right…”

Maybe she could open up a bit more. It… would be nice if her and her sister could have a talk about how they felt.

“You know, back in college, the girl I was dating… we had a great relationship based on trust. We could always depend on each other.” Maruki told her. “And like I said, that’s an ideal relationship for friends, family, or lovers.

She smiled. “That does sound nice. Are the two of you still together?”

Maruki paused, letting out a frown. “She’s… no longer with us.”

“O-Oh, I’m so sorry!” she gasped.

“It’s ok.” Maruki smiled. “She’s in a better place now. Still, I understand that losing people precious to you can be a major source of heartbreak.”

“Yes… I suppose it can be.” she agreed.

“Part of my research is looking into things like that. Injuries to the heart, you could call them.” Maruki explained. “That kind of internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Personally speaking, I think that if pain can be avoided, it should be. Maybe… it shouldn’t even exist at all.”

“That’s an interesting perspective.” she said.

“I think that speaking to you helped me to better understand aspects about my research.” Maruki said. “I have to thank you for that.”

“Oh no, I should be thanking you.” Makoto said. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”

“Anytime, Niijima-san.” Maruki smiled. “I know I’m not the most reliable guy, but you can always talk to me if you have any trouble.”

She found herself feeling very helpful for his help.

**COUNCILLOR CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

After ending the counselling session, she went home for the day

* * *

**5/24 Tuesday**

**Days Until Legal Action: 16**

The day started out the same as any other, with her getting ready for class.

When she got on the subway, however, she was surprised to see Madarame himself on the television inside the train.

He stood in front of numerous microphones, a guilt-ridden look on his face as several journalists took photos of him,

“I… have committed crimes unbecoming of an artist.” Madarame admitted. “I… kept my apprentices in awful living conditions, with no bed and little food. I had anyone who dared to speak out against me blacklisted from the art community. Not only that, but… I… I plagiarized their work.”

Several people on the train gasped at Madarame’s confession.

“I tainted this… this country’s art world. Even the Sayuri isn’t mine… it was created by an apprentice of mine. Yua Kitagawa was her name.” Madarame confessed. “She… had a seizure in front of me one day. I… I let her die so that I could claim her work as my own!”

“This is it!” she realized. “The change of heart worked!”

“H-How could I… I possibly… apologize to- to everyone for… for what I’ve done… Ahhhh!” Madarame wept.

“...And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a few hours ago.” the newscaster said. “After the conference, Madarame turned himself into the police. On top of charges of abuse of his pupils, Madarame is also under suspicion of claiming their works as his own.”

Several passengers on the train began to converse amongst themselves.

“Wasn’t that guy holding a gallery around here?”

“That old man’s done for…”

“After the conference, Madarame was taken to a hospital due to his age.” the newscaster continued. “However, initial psych evaluations stated that he is mentally sound, and likely responsible for his actions. Also, a group known as the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame’s exhibit. The police are currently investigating, but have not yet identified them as suspects.”

“Phantom Thieves? You think they had anything to do with that geezer’s confession?” a passenger asked.

“Oh, I’ve heard of them.” another passenger replied. “They steal evil hearts, and that makes the culprits confess.”

“Seems more and more people are hearing about us.” she mused.

She couldn’t help but smile as she made her way to class.

* * *

“Hey, did you see the news about Madarame?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “It’s just like what happened with Kamoshida!”

After classes had ended, all five of them met up near the school.

“The news even mentioned the Phantom Thieves.” she smiled.

“Man, things are getting really exciting!” Ryuji grinned. “With all of this power, there’s a lot we could do!”

“So many people are talking about us right now.” Ren brought up. “It’s pretty surprising.”

“Man, I hope that we keep gettin’ more and more popular!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“People are really paying attention now that it’s happened twice.” Morgana pointed out.

“If we keep doing this… it might help give others the courage to reach out.” she beamed.

“We might want to quiet down…” Yusuke mentioned, motioning to two police officers close by.

“...We’ll have to be much more careful from now on.” Morgana said. “We probably shouldn’t just stand around in one place for long.”

“That’s a good point.” Makoto said. “Which reminds me, the other members of the student council told me that the principal approached them and told them to keep a lookout for anything suspicious.”

“For real?! Man, that guy’s being a real pain in the ass!” Ryuji muttered.

“I’m still wondering about that guy with the black mask.” Ren said. “Did Madarame say anything to you before turning himself in, Yusuke?”

“I did press him for answers, but he doesn’t seem to understand what happened to him.” Yusuke told them. “And I suppose I won’t be able to get any information once he goes to prison.”

“Guess we’ll have to keep an eye out inside the Metaverse and out.” Morgana said.

“So, what now?” Ryuji asked. “You gonna stay at the shack now?”

“I don’t think I could live there anymore.” Yusuke admitted. “It holds… far too many bad memories now. I’ll stay in the dorms at my school. Although… perhaps I could stay at your house, Makoto.”

“That… won’t be happening, I’m afraid. Sis would never allow it.” she explained.

“Ah, that’s a shame.” Yusuke sighed. “I was still hoping to have you as my muse.”

“Oh, I completely forgot about that.” she admitted.

“Hmm… now that I think about it, there was something missing the first time you posed for me.” Yusuke muttered. “Ah, of course! Makoto, I must ask you to pose for me again… this time, in the nude!”

“W-W-W-WHAT?!” she yelled, her face turning as red as a tomato.

“M-Makoto posing… nude?!” Ren exclaimed, his face equally red.

“Yes! Exactly! A sight like that will be truly stimulating!”

“I know you mean that in an artsy way, but dude, phrasing.” Ryuji stressed.

“Well, Makoto?” Yusuke asked.

“N-No!” she cried. “Absolutely not! I… I’m not going to pose nude for you!”

After taking a few moments to calm down, they went over their plan going forward.

“It’ll likely be a bit before our next big target, so let’s just lie low for now.” Makoto advised.

“Guess we should just act like normal high schoolers then.” Ren replied.

“Yes, exactly. I’ll start making preparations in the meantime.” she told them.

“Oh, we should have another celebration too!” Ryuji suggested. “For another successful mission and a new member.”

The five Thieves walked off, all of them satisfied at a job well done.

* * *

“I can understand why you helped your fellow students.” Sae began. “But now you saved someone you barely knew?”

She nodded.

“He sent you away and nearly reported you to the police, so why save him?” Sae asked.

“It was the right thing to do.” she said. “That’s what I believed.”

“You were in way over your head.” Sae scolded.

“I had to do something… because I was worried that no one else could.” she explained.

“You’ve changed, Makoto…” Sae muttered. “I just don’t understand how this happened under my nose.”

“You were always working.” Makoto pointed out. “I realize that it was to support me, but because of that, you weren't around very often. It’s just like dad…”

“Don’t you dare compare me to that man!” Sae spat, slamming the table.

Makoto glared. “You’re right. That would be an insult to him.”

Sae glared back, neither sister backing down for several seconds before Sae shook her head and sat back down.

“Getting back on topic, you mentioned that this time you went to a museum instead of a castle.” Sae continued. “Now, if you’re finished acting like a brat, tell me the identity of Madarame’s apprentice.”

She said nothing.

“You know, the police could easily find out who they are with just a little bit of investigation.”

Again, she said nothing.

Sae pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine then, let’s continue with you next target, Junya K-”

“No, there was someone before him.” Makoto mentioned.

“What?!” Sae exclaimed. “Another major target before Kaneshiro?!”

“Yes, there was.” Makoto mentioned.

Sae slammed her hands on her desk. “The police weren't aware of this. You need to tell us everything you know then. Every single detail!”

“I understand.” Makoto nodded. “I told you I’d cooperate.”

Despite the tension in the air, she could sense her sister’s appreciation for her cooperation.

**JUDGEMENT CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

“Now then…” Sae began. “Let’s continue…”

* * *

“...The suspect has repeatedly testified that he does not have any recollection of his actions.” the newscaster droned. “A full psychiatric evaluation will be performed to further investigate the crime’s details and motives.”

“Another psychotic breakdown…” Sae muttered. “I was looking into them, as well as the more recent incidents with Kamoshida and Madarame… I found several similarities between the two situations.”

Her boss furrowed his brow. “Isn’t trying those cases to the psychotic breakdown cases jumping to conclusions? The police are getting rather sick of your meddling...”

“Now isn’t the time to be worrying about things like that!” Sae insisted. “We need to dig deeper and find a correlation among the incidents that have been happening for three, almost four years now!”

The SIU director sighed. “If this is about that case, I assure you, we had the finest investigators on the force examine every possibility, but they found nothing. What happened three years ago was just a tragic accident.”

“I can’t accept that!” Sae said. “I… I have too…”

“Fine, you may investigate on your own time.” her boss relented. “But don’t expect any help, and don’t let this interfere with your regular duties.”

“Thank you, sir.” Sae expressed, giving a small bow.

After making sure she left, the SIU director frowned. “That damn woman just had to stick her nose into this… but as long as I sit in this chair, she will never find out the truth behind that case.”

* * *

She sulked through the halls after classes ended, wallowing in despair.

It was true… everything her brother had said to her was true.

She was just a worthless failure. She had barely any friends, her grades were awful, and her parents… hell, everyone probably saw her as a lost cause.

“Hey, are you ok?”

She glanced up, seeing a concerned redhead.

“You didn’t look so good. Are you ok?” the redhead asked again.

“I just… am dealing with a lot right now.” Eiko muttered. “I don’t want to, like, burden you with my problems, um…”

“Kasumi Yoshizawa!” the redhead chirped. “But, if you’re feeling down, maybe you could talk to Dr. Maruki. He really helped me when I was going through a rough time.”

“Really?” Eiko asked. “Well… ok, maybe I’ll do that.”

She made her way to Maruki’s office, slowly opening the door.

“Come in!” Maruki said. “Oh. You are…”

“Eiko Takao…” she muttered. “I, like, wanted to talk to you about… my feelings and stuff.”

“Well, alright. What did you want to talk about?” Maruki asked.

“Well, my exam scores just came in, and… they’re not good.” Eiko sighed.

“I see.” Maruki frowned. “That must be upsetting.”

“I’m used to bad scores. I’m just not that smart, no matter how much I study.” Eiko muttered. “Not like my brother. Not like Makoto. Those two are like, super geniuses. Not a failure like me.”

“A failure?” Maruki said. “Now why would you think you’re a failure?”

“Cause my grades suck and Makoto’s my only friend.” Eiko muttered. “My parents only pay attention to my brother because he’s much better than me in every way.”

“And how would you say that makes you feel?” Maruki asked.

“A little envious… and… whenever I see him succeed so easily, it makes me hate myself.” Eiko admitted. “I’m not just envious of him, but of Makoto too. She’s just amazing… I wish I were more like her or my brother. Or anyone else really.”

“Wishing you were someone else…” Maruki trailed off. “Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that mindset at all, Takao-san.”

“F-For real?” Eiko gasped.

“Of course!” Maruki said, giving a wide smile. “Why don’t we discuss this a little more…”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 2

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 2

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.2%


	22. Chance Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you all know, I'm going to be taking a two week hiatus for the holidays after this chapter, but then I'll be back! Happy Holidays to all of you and I hope you enjoy reading!

**5/25 Wednesday**

When she woke up, she went through her morning routine as normal, until she entered the kitchen and let out a tiny squeal.

“H-Huh? What?! What’s going on?!” a startled Morgana exclaimed.

“B-B-Buchi!” she cried out.

On the kitchen table was a big, extra fluffy Buchi plush, along with a note.

_“Congratulations on doing so well on your exams. I got you this to celebrate. Keep up the good work.”_

_Sae_

She let out a bright smile. “It’s a gift from sis.”

“Ohhh, maybe she can take us out for sushi too!” Morgana yelled excitedly.

“Maybe. I’ll ask her later.” she smiled.

After gushing over her new plushie for a little while, she made her way to class.

* * *

“Uggggh, do I have too?”

“You’re the only one of us who hasn’t gone to counselling yet, Ryuji.” Makoto pointed out. “You’ll have to go soon, or people will get suspicious.”

The three of them sat at the lunch table, discussing their counselling sessions.

“You don’t even have to talk to him much if you want.” Ren said. “He’s a pretty chill guy.”

“Man, I was hoping to bring you guys somewhere cool today.” Ryuji sighed.

“Somewhere cool?” Makoto repeated. “Well, the counselling session shouldn’t take too long. At least, it didn’t for me.”

“Alright then, I’ll get it done really quick, so wait for me!” Ryuji said.

“Just make sure you don’t say too much!” Morgana warned.

“Yeah, yeah.” Ryuji scoffed.

With Ryuji promising to go and see Dr. Maruki, they enjoyed the rest of their lunch in peace.

* * *

“Come on in!”

Ryuji walked into the room, a bored expression on his face.

“Sup.” Ryuji greeted.

“Oh, Sakamoto-kun, hello!” Maruki greeted. “Are you here for a counselling session?”

“Well… it’s not like I wanted to or nothin’.” Ryuji grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Ahaha, I’m sorry that they forced you into this.” Maruki sympathized. “I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.”

Ryuji sat on the couch, giving Maruki a skeptical look.

“This is kinda awkward…” Ryuji admitted. “Usually when I’m meeting with a teacher it’s cause they want to chew me out about somethin’.”

“Try not to think of me as a teacher.” Maruki suggested. “If anything, I’m here to be on the student’s side.”

“Right… So, is this the part where I have to tell you all about Kamoshida.” Ryuji muttered.

“Oh, no, no- this isn’t some kind of interrogation.” Maruki insisted. “Feel free to talk about whatever you want.”

“Like what?” Ryuji asked.

“Hmm… well, is there anyone at school that you like?” Maruki asked.

“That’s not exactly easy to talk about either.” Ryuji frowned.

“O-Oh, sorry.” Maruki said. “Then… what about hobbies? What do you like to do in your spare time?”

“Well, recently I’ve been hangin’ out with my friends.” Ryuji said. “But I guess before then I just did a lot of track.”

“I see… and how is your leg doing?” Maruki asked.

“So, you know about that too…” Ryuji frowned.

“Sorry… the school gave me a lot of information about what happened.” Maruki admitted.

“Well… it’s alright.” Ryuji said. “But if I run too much it’ll start to strain.”

“I see… you must have really enjoyed running, huh?”

“Guess so… I mean, after all the trainin’ I did, it would be weird if I didn’t like it.” Ryuji replied. “Back then, I was always running. I was hoping that I’d eventually get a running scholarship to make things easier on my mom…”

“I see. That’s a very admirable goal.” Maruki complemented.

“Yeah, well, that’s all in the past now.” Ryuji sighed. “Can’t really do that now with my banged up knee.”

“Oh? Couldn’t you get some surgery to repair the damage? Physical therapy, maybe?” Maruki asked.

“Well… yeah, I could, but… I don’t know, going back to track just seems kinda strange.” Ryuji muttered. “Uggh, I’m not good at explaining this kinda stuff!”

“I think I understand… you have bad memories associated with track, hence the hesitation.” Maruki noted. “I imagine that, if that traumatic event hadn't happened, you would be freely pursuing your dream, right?

“Um… yeah, I guess.” Ryuji said. “But it did happen.”

“Well, I think that you should never give up on your dream!” Maruki smiled. “I’m sure if you wish hard enough, your dreams will come true.”

“The hell? You tryin’ to sell me some kinda line now?” Ryuji asked suspiciously.

“Oh now, it’s a very real phenomenon, with tons of research backing it.” Maruki explained. “Let’s try this… what do you want the most, right now?”

“Right now? Uhh… ohh! I’m really thirsty, so I want something to drink.” Ryuji answered.

“Oho! Just this morning, I lucked into a coupon for a free can of apple juice!” Maruki exclaimed, handing it to Ryuji “See? Your wish came true!”

“Yeaaaaah…” Ryuji trailed off. “You know, Doc, you’re kinda… a weirdo.”

“You think so?” Maruki asked, surprised. “Oh, wait, did you mean that as a compliment?”

“Uhhhh, no.” Ryuji bluntly stated.

“O-Oh…”

“So, um, are we done now?” Ryuji asked. “I kinda got somethin’ to do.”

“Oh, of course!” Maruki nodded. “Thank you for coming!”

* * *

“Hey guys, thanks for waiting!”

Ryuji met up with them outside of the school.

“How was your counselling?” Makoto asked.

“It was alright.” Ryuji shrugged. “The guy’s kinda weird though. He wanted to talk a lot about my future and my dreams and stuff. I guess I’ve been having second thoughts about stuff like that lately.”

“Second thoughts?” Morgana questioned. “Hey, congrats. That’s two more thoughts than you usually have.”

“Shut the hell up, cat!” Ryuji snapped.

“Behave.” she scolded Morgana. “Or no sushi.”

“I-I’ll be good!” Morgana quickly said.

“So, where were you going to take us, Ryuji?” Ren asked.

“Kichijoji!” Ryuji grinned. “Trust me, you guys will love it!”

“Should we ask Yusuke if he wants to come?” Makoto asked.

“I already texted him. He said he’d meet us there.” Ryuji explained.

“Sounds like fun.” Ren grinned. “And I’ve got free time today, so let’s go.”

The four of them went to the subway so that they could ride to their destination.

* * *

“Wow… the atmosphere here is a lot different than Shibuya...” she trailed off.

“There’s still a lot of people here.” Ren noticed.

“Not good with crowds?” Ryuji asked.

“Still not really used to them.” Ren confessed. “I was in awe the first time I stepped into Shibuya. I’d never seen that many people in one place before.”

“Oh yeah, you live out in the country, huh?” Ryuji recalled. “Maybe one day we could all go and visit your hometown.”

“Eh, I don’t know.” Ren shrugged. “There’s nothing really exciting over there.”

“Come on, that can’t be true. You live there!” Ryuji grinned.

“I really would like to visit your hometown someday.” she told him.

“W-Well… maybe someday, I guess.” Ren mumbled, a little embarrassed.

“Well, anyway, I got a couple of tickets for free darts and billiards a while back.” Ryuji told them. “They expired today, so I figured we could go and try it out.”

“Mind if we explore for a bit beforehand?” she asked. “I’d like to check out some of the shops, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, sure, let’s go!” Ryuji grinned.

The four of them checked the various stalls and shops around Kichijoji, noting the variety of products being sold.

As they browsed through the stores however, she couldn’t help but feel that something was off…

“Hmm…”

“Did you find something you liked, Makoto?” Ren asked.

“No, it’s just… don’t you have a bit of a strange feeling?” she asked him.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” Ren said.

“Did somebody grope ya or something?” Ryuji bluntly asked.

“What?! No, that’s not… hmm…”

She glanced around, looking over all the people in the area.

None of them appeared to be paying any attention at the moment, but…

"Gorgeous…" Morgana whispered.

“Huh? What are you talkin’ about, cat?” Ryuji asked.

“Whenever I peek my head out, I see this gorgeous girl walking behind us.” Morgana purred. “She must have been drawn in by my charm.”

“...Ok, Morgana’s delusions aside…” Ren trailed off, before whispering to her. “...you think we’re being followed.

“Maybe… she whispered back before looking around some more. “Ok, on the count of three, we run into the nearest back alley. Got it?”

The others nodded.

“One...two...three!”

The thieves ran into the ally, hiding behind a nearby dumpster, and sure enough, a girl around their age ran into the ally soon afterwards.

“Ugh, why’d they run off like that?”

“ANN?!”

Ryuji came out from behind the dumpster, a shocked look on his face.

“You’re… Ann Takamaki, right?” she asked as Ren and her came out after him.

“O-Oh, hey, Niijima-sempai!” Ann nervously stammered. “And Ryuji and… the transfer student. That’s an interesting group!”

“Why are you following us.” she accused.

“F-Following you? Whaaaaaat, no, I would never do thaaaat!” Ann insisted, a nervous grin on her face. “I was just here to, um, uh… well, you know…

“Know what?” Ren muttered.

“Just, like… buying… things.” Ann excused, her acting growing worse by the second.

“Right…” Makoto muttered, not believing her for a moment. “Well, there aren’t any shops here, so I guess you’ll be on your way then.”

“W-Wait, hold on!” Ann cried. “I mean, since we’re all here, we should totally have, um… a little chat?”

“Excellent. I was meaning to chat with you.”

“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Ann screamed, whipping around to face the person now standing behind her.

“Who the hell are you!” Ann shouted.

“Wha- Yusuke, what the hell are you doing here?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Why are you following Ann around, who’s following Makoto around, who’s following me around?”

“I’m not following anyone!” Ann yelled. “Not like… this stalker right here!”

“Stalking you? That’s ridiculous. I just thought you would make a wonderful muse.” Yusuke noted. “But I wanted to keep a low profile, so I tried to be stealthy by copying Makoto’s stealth technique, but I was too poor to afford a manga, so I found a flyer in a trash can and hoped it would suffice.”

“...And who exactly told you about my ‘stealth technique’?” Makoto asked, her irritation growing.

“H-Hey now, let’s not change the subject.” Ren quickly said.

“Indeed.” Yusuke nodded. “Now, getting back to the modeling.”

“Who even are you?!” Ann exclaimed.

“I’m Yusuke Kitagawa.” Yusuke answered. “I was hoping that you would be my muse for a painting.”

“Kitagawa… that’s the same last name as that lady that Madarame talked about on the news.” Ann muttered. “And this guy’s an artist like her.”

The gears in her brain started turning…

“And with Kamoshida… there were rumors that he threatened to expel Ryuji and that transfer student…” Ann mused. “I wonder...”

“Now would be a good time to leave while she’s distracted.” she whispered.

“Sounds good.” Ren nodded. “Let’s go.”

They quickly ran away, leaving Ann alone with Yusuke.

“Well… ok, I guess we could, as long as the others are… wait, where’d they go?!” Ann cried.

“Excellent.” Yusuke smiled. “Now then, if you could come with me back to my dorm, you can strip off your clothes and I can begin to paint you.”

“WHAT?! NO!” Ann screamed. “Get away from me you pervert!”

“It’s nothing like that!” Yusuke insisted. “I am only attracted to you in an artistic sense.”

“HEY! RYUJIIIIIII!” Ann yelled. “GET BACK HERE! DON’T LEAVE ME WITH THIS WEIRDO!”

* * *

“Is she still following us?” Ryuji asked

“Nah, I… I think we lost her.” Ren panted.

“Why the hell was she following us around anyway?” Ryuji grumbled.

“It could have something to do with the principal, but I can’t be sure.” she said.

“Ah, who cares about that shit right now?” Ryuji scoffed. “We came here to have some fun, right? So let’s go!”

“You’re right.” she smiled. “We shouldn’t let this ruin our day.”

They made their way to a place called Penguin Sniper to play darts and billiards.

“Hey, Makoto, want to play around with me?” Ren asked.

“Together?” she wondered.

“Yeah. We start with a certain number of points, and we try to reach zero by throwing the darts at certain sections of the dart board.” Ren explained.

She had never actually played either in real life before, but she had played a dart game the one time Ren and Ryuji brought her to the arcade.

They played a couple rounds, bringing their score a little lower before it was her turn again.

“Ok… just like the simulations.” Makoto whispered.

“Simulations?” Ren repeated, giving a small chuckle.

“D-Don’t laugh!” she stammered.

She took a deep breath and focused before throwing the dart with pinpoint accuracy.

“I… I did it!” she said in disbelief.

She had thrown the dart in the perfect spot, so that now they only had a score of one.

“Wow… that was really good.” Ren complimented.

She reached up to high five him. “You’re up, Ren!”

“Yeah…”

She saw that Ren seemed a little nervous, as it was all on him to bring their score to zero.

She tried to think of a way to encourage him.

“Ren, I’m counting on you. I know you can do this!” she cheered.

Her encouragement seemed to work, as Ren immediately began to focus, throwing the dart in just the right place.

“Hey, we did it!” Ren grinned. “We did great!”

“You two make a great team!” Morgana praised. “Now it’s my turn!”

“Um… can you even play with your paws?” Ryuji asked.

“Of course I can! Just watch!” Morgana boasted.

They played a few more rounds of darts before leaving.

“That was pretty fun, am I right?” Ryuji grinned.

“I kinda want to explore other places in Tokyo now.” Ren grinned. “We should do that another day.”

“Oh, I know!” Morgana shouted. “There’s this one huge building that looks like a pancake! We should go there”

“You mean Dome Town?” she asked. “There are plenty of amusement park rides there. It could be fun.”

“Ugh, damn it, now I’m hungry.” Ryuji moaned.

“Say, Ryuji, what’s this place?” Ren asked, pointing to a building in front of them.

“Oh, that’s a jazz club.” Ryuji explained. “I’ve never been there myself, though.”

As soon as he said that, someone walked out of the jazz club, causing her to gasp.

“Akechi-kun?!”

“Oh, Niijima-san, hello.” Akechi greeted. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Are these friends?”

She nodded. “These are Ren and Ryuji.”

“You know this guy, Makoto?” Ren asked.

“This is Goro Akechi.” she introduced. “He works with my sister sometimes. He’s a detective.”

“For real?!” Ryuji gasped. “This guy’s a detective?!”

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard about me before.” Akechi grinned. “I’ve been all over the news lately. Oh, but speaking of the news, have you heard about the recent scandal with that artist?”

“You mean Madarame?” she asked. “Yes, I… heard about it while riding the subway yesterday.”

“It was quite the shook, that’s for sure, especially with the mention of those Phantom Thieves.”

“You believe in the Phantom Thieves?” Ren asked, playing ignorant.

“I won’t deny the possibility.” Akechi told them. “But, hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real… I believe that they should be tried in a court of law.”

“WHAT?!” Ryuji yelled. “If it weren't for them, Madarame would still be committing crimes!”

“While Madarame’s actions are unforgivable, the Phantom Thieves are taking the law into their own hands, and that isn’t justice.” Akechi argued.

“What the hell!” Ryuji scowled. “That’s-”

“Ryuji!” she snapped, cutting him off.

They couldn’t risk anyone, least of all a detective, growing suspicious.

“I’m sorry, Akechi-kun.” she apologized. “It’s just that a lot of students at our school are very passionate about this, considering what happened with Kamoshida.”

“Ah, yes, the Phantom Thieves’ first target was the gym teacher at your school.” Akechi recalled. “I suppose it makes sense that so many students would feel passionate about this. But I’m curious… what do you think about the Phantom Thieves, Niijima-san?”

“What do I think?” she repeated.

She considered her words carefully, not wanting to tip him off.

“I think… that occasionally, there are times where groups like the Phantom Thieves are necessarily.” she explained. “Kamoshida… his crimes were being covered up by the staff, and all of the student’s cries for help fell on deaf ears.”

“I see… I must say, I didn’t expect that kind of answer from someone like you, Niijima-san.” Akechi admitted. “But don’t you think it’s a little disturbing how they forcibly change people’s hearts.”

“Well… they’ve only gone after criminals so far, correct?” she replied.

“But what if they start using that power for more nefarious purposes?” Akechi countered.

“You shouldn’t try people based on ‘what ifs’.” she told him.

“I see. What an interesting position.” Akechi acknowledged, giving a wide grin. “Our discussions are always quite meaningful.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Not many people are willing to speak their mind once they realize who I am.” Akechi told her. “There certainly is a lot of corruption in our world. I can understand why you’d support them.”

“I suppose I can understand your point of view as well.” she confessed. “We… don’t know about their methods, and it is possible that they don’t have the best of intentions.”

“I’m glad you understand my point of view.” Akechi smiled. “But I have to wonder… if they were to encounter an even more powerful and connected, would they flee without a second thought?”

“...That remains to be seen.” she simply said. “But I do think it required a bit of courage to go after people like Kamoshida and Madarame.”

“Hmm… I suppose so.” Akechi admitted. “You know, you’d make for a great debate partner, Niijima-san.”

Akechi held out his hand, an inviting smile on his face.

“I would love it if, perhaps, the two of us could meet up again someday and discuss our thoughts on justice some more.” Akechi offered, giving a wide smile.

For some reason, something about his smile seemed… off to her, but maybe the nervousness of getting caught was just making her paranoid.

She shook his hand and nodded. “Yes. I’d like that.”

“Oh? Wonderful, that’s great news!” Akechi beamed. “I sense something quite different in you than other people.”

“You sense it?” she wondered.

“I guess you could call it a detective’s intuition.” Akechi chuckled.

As she shook his hand, she felt an odd sensation...

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Justice** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**JUSTICE CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“I’d like to stay and have pancakes with the rest of you, but I have some business to attend to.” Akechi excused.

“Huh?” Pancakes? What are you talkin’ about?” Ryuji muttered.

“Oh, am I mistaken?” Akechi asked, eyes widening. “I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes… Well, no matter. Be seeing you, Niijima-san.”

As Akechi walked out of earshot, Ryuji frowned.

“Who does that guy think he is, framin’ us as the bad guys.” Ryuji grumbled.

“I do get what he’s saying.” Ren admitted. “We know that we have good intentions, but he doesn’t.”

“That’s true.” she nodded. “Let’s not let this sour our day, though. Let’s try to make the rest of the day enjoyable.”

“Maybe get some dinner first. I’m starving.” Ryuji brought up.

“Now that I think about it… pancakes do sound good right now…” Ren added.

“Pancakes… wait a moment…” she mused.

Something seemed… off about that last conversation.

Putting it at the back of her mind, she spent the rest of the day having fun with Ren and Ryuji before heading home for the day.

* * *

A long high school girl walked along the streets of Shinjuku, frowning.

“I know he said that I can become whoever I want if I believe, but is it really that simple…?” Eiko thought to herself.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized where she was going, and accidentally bumped into someone.

“Hey, what the hell… oh?” a man muttered. “Say, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this all alone?”

“I’m just doing some shopping… and some thinking…” she muttered. “It’s not like anyone cares that I’m gone right now…”

“Hey, come on, don’t say that.” the man said. “I’d care, for starters.”

“You’re just saying that…” Eiko muttered.

“No, no, not at all.” the man insisted. “It’s just… there are a lot of sketchy guys hanging around Shinjuku during these hours, and they all love to prey on beautiful women like you.”

“O-Oh…” Eiko stammered.

“I’d hate for anyone to get involved with those types.” the man said. “Why don’t I show you around?”

“Well… ok.” Eiko replied, giving a small smile. “And thanks… for caring about me.”

“No problem.” the man grinned. “Name’s Tsukasa, by the way.”

“I’m Eiko.” she beamed. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Tsukasa grinned, a charming smile on his face. “Now come on. I’ll show you a fun time.”

Eiko followed him, not noticing the sinister grin on his face...

* * *

**5/26 Thursday**

As soon as she made her way to school, she ran into Daichi.

“Hey, Miss Prez.” Daichi called. “There’s an emergency council meeting after school. Try to be there, ok?”

“Oh, of course.” she nodded.

“Alright, see you then.” Daichi grinned.

She waved goodbye before heading to class.

* * *

After classes ended for the day, she went to the council meeting.

“Hello everyone.” she greeted. “I heard that there was an emergency meeting today.”

“Oh yeah! The principal told us that we’re going to be holding a cleanup event on the 30th!” Kayo commented.

“They want us to arrange some of the details.” Daichi added.

“On the 29th? That’s on rather short notice.” she commented.

“I guess he must have arranged it last minute.” Kayo replied.

“So, what did they want us to arrange?” Makoto asked.

“It’s already been decided that we’re going to be cleaning a park.” Chiaki explained. “All the students are going to taking part, and lunch will be served by the school. The principal wants us to be there”

“Most of the staff won't be present, though, so we’ll have to help supervise.” Kayo added.

“I see… is there anything else that’s coming up soon?” she asked.

“B-Bake sale…”

They all turned towards Akemi.

“T-There’s a bake sale soon… from the cooking club.” Akemi muttered.

“Oh yeah!” Kayo realized. “So, what are you and the rest of the cooking club going to make, Akemi-kun?”

“Cookies…” Akemi mumbled. “We’re going to sell cookies. Um… speaking of…

Akemi pulled out a basket of cookies, handing them to everyone.

“I, um, made these for everyone…” Akemi mumbled.

She took a bite out of the cookie, immediately loving it.

“This is delicious! Thank you, Akemi-kun.” she beamed.

“Y-You’re welcome…” Akemi whispered.

“There’s one more thing that I wanted to discuss.” Chiaki brought up. “There have been rumors about this gang in Shibuya. I heard a couple of students talking about them. I think that they might be targeting some of the students here, and getting them to transport drugs and other illegal activities for money.”

“That’s very concerning...” Makoto trailed off.

“We should bring that up to the principal!” Kayo suggested.

“That’s if he even listens to us.” Chiaki scoffed.

“He does seem to be more concerned with those Phantom Thieves.” Daichi noted. “He’s really been breathing down our necks about finding out about them.”

“I’ll talk to him about it.” she offered. “I’ll do it after I turn in the budget today.”

“Yeah! I’m sure if the principal will listen to anyone, it’ll be you, Niijima-sempai!” Kayo mentioned.

“I’ll do my best to convince him to look into it.” she promised.

After going through a few more minor things, they ended their meeting, Chiaki once again meeting her outside.”

“Niijima.” Chiaki called. “Do you really think that you’ll be able to convince the principal?”

“I’m… not the most confidant, but I have to try.” Makoto confessed.

“I’m not confident either.” Chiaki muttered. “This whole cleanup event just seems like a way to save face.”

“You might be right.” Makoto admitted.

“If the principal refuses to deal with this, then we might have to take this into our own hands.” Chiaki mentioned.

“Then I’ll do everything I can to help them myself.” she promised.

Chiaki actually gave a small smile. “Heh. Guess I’ll hold you too that.”

I could feel her trust in me.

**TOWER CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

After speaking with Chiaki for a bit longer, she went to the principal’s office.

* * *

“Hello, sir?” she asked, knocking on his door.

“Niijima-san! Come in, come in!” the principal called.

She walked into his office, placing the budget on his desk.

“The yearly budget, sir.” she informed him.

“It’s… quite a bit different from last years.” the principal noticed.

“Well, with… what happened to Kamoshida, we couldn’t really put the majority of the budget in the volleyball team.”

“Ah, yes, about that…” Kobayakawa trailed off. “Have you made any progress on your investigation into the Phantom Thieves.”

“No, sir… I haven’t.”

The principal sighed. “A shame. I thought you’d have had more success. I know that your sister would have easily solved this by now.

She said nothing, biting her lip and staring at the floor.

“Those people are dangerous, Niijima-san!” the principal huffed. “They could go after any one of us!”

“I-I’m sure it’s fine, sir.” she insisted. “They’ve only gone after criminals, so far…”

“And how can you be so sure?” the principal asked. “I feel that you aren’t treating this situation with the urgency that it requires. This reflects rather poorly on you as the Student Council President!”

“Their last target wasn’t related to the school at all.” she pointed out.

“You seem awfully quick to defend them.” Kobayakawa noted. “You aren’t hiding something from me, are you?”

“N-No, of course not!” she insisted.

“Hmm… I’ve heard that you’ve been spending quite a bit of time with a few… delinquents.” the principal muttered. “Sakamoto and… the criminal transfer student.”

“Is that a problem?” she asked.

“I ask that you don’t associate with them.” the principal ordered. “I noticed you’ve been acting strangely ever since you started speaking with them.”

“By strangely… he means that I’m not just his obedient lapdog anymore.” she thought angrily.

“Don’t let me catch you around those two again.” the principal

“Sir-!”

“Enough!” the principal cut her off. “I’m giving you 2 weeks to find out information on these Phantom Thieves, and not a second more.”

“...Yes, sir.” she muttered. “But… there’s one thing I have to bring to your attention. I’ve heard rumors about a gang from Shibuya that’s targeting students from Shujin. They’re having them do various illegal activities for money.”

“A-A gang in Shibuya, y-you say?” the principal stammered. “C-Could they be…”

“Be what, sir?” she replied.

“N-Never mind!” the principal quickly said, trying to regain his composure. “Niijima-san, don’t bother looking into those incidents.”

“But sir, these incidents concern Shujin students!” she argued.

“What they do outside of school is none of our concern.” the principal declared. “If they want to get involved with criminals, that’s their own problem. Don’t go investigating, or there will be consequences.”

She clenched her fists, trying to calm herself down.

“...Yes, sir.” she finally said.

The principal nodded. “Good. Now then, if that’s all, you’re dismissed.”

She stepped out of his office, no longer feeling the need to hide her anger as soon as she stepped outside.

“How can he be so uncaring?!” she exclaimed.

“For someone who said he didn’t care, he really didn’t want to investigate.” Morgana commented.

“That’s true… I wonder if he’s hiding something…” she replied.

“We’ll have to find some way to get out of his demands, and fast!” Morgana advised. “We only have two weeks!”

“I’ll try to text the others.” she said.

She pulled out her phone to put a message into the group chat.

 **Makoto:** Are you all free to meet tomorrow?

 **Yusuke:** Unfortunately, I’m in the process of moving my possessions to my dorm and getting settled in. It will take a few more days.

 **Ryuji:** Ren and I are busy too, but we’re free tomorrow.

 **Ren:** Makoto, please save me.

 **Ryuji:** Shut up, man! Don’t tell her about the operation!

 **Makoto:** Operation?

 **Ryuji:** Never mind! We’ll meet up later, I promise!

“What are those two up to?” Morgana wondered.

“I’m not sure I want to know.” she admitted. “It’s fine. We can tell them later.”

“Yeah, you do look kinda stressed.” the not cat pointed out. “Maybe a good night’s sleep will help refresh you, and then you can tell them with a clear head.”

Seeing the logic in his words, she nodded.

With the principal’s demands weighing on her mind, she went home.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 2

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 1

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 1

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.4%


	23. Stress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's good to be back! I've been blown away by all the support so far, whether it be comment, work on the T.V Tropes page, or just people reading the fic in general. Thank you all so much!

**5/27 Friday**

As soon as woke up, she walked into the kitchen to make herself breakfast… only to find Sae there, a stern expression on her face.

“Oh, sis, why are you-”

“Sit.” Sae commanded, pointing to a nearby chair. “We need to talk.”

Nervously, she did as she was told, sitting down at the table.

“I got a call from your school.” Sae told her. “They told me that you were spending time with some ‘delinquents’, one of which was convicted of assault...Ren Amamiya.”

“Sis, I-”

“Is it true, Makoto?” Sae cut her off, her eyes narrowing.

“He’s not a criminal! He was framed.” she insisted. “He’s a really nice and caring person.”

“Don’t be naive, Makoto.” her sister warned. “He’s just trying to lure you in with some ridiculous sob story he made up. If you keep spending time with him, you’ll only end up hurt.”

“How can you say that without knowing him?!” she argued.

“I’ve dealt with hundreds of criminals before, and I was in high school too.” Sae pointed out. “Criminals don’t care about hurting people, and the only thing that high school boys care about is sex.”

“I’m telling you… he’s not a criminal.” she whispered.

Sae sighed. “What’s with you all of a sudden? You’ve been acting strangely recently.”

She said nothing, not sure how to explain.

“Makoto, it doesn’t matter whether he was framed or not.” Sae pointed out. “What matters is that now that he has that stigma attached to him, people will start talking if they see you spending time with someone like that. That would be horrible for your reputation.”

Reputation… was that all anyone cared about?! The principal, her sister…

“It’s your last year of high school, Makoto.” Sae reminded her. “You know what you have to do, right?”

“Keep studying hard, get good grades, and get into a good college.” she said.

It was stiff. Forced. A response that had been drilled into her.

“Good girl.” Sae smiled. “Just do as I ask, and don’t let me hear about you spending time with delinquents again, alright?”

“...Yes, sis.” she mumbled.

Frowning, she quietly ate her breakfast and got ready for school.

* * *

When she walked up to school, she saw Ren and Ryuji whispering to themselves in front of the school.

“What the hell were you thinkin’, man?” Ryuji hissed. “There was no way she was going to believe you were a dad.”

“I was panicking, ok?” Ren grumbled. “And what about you? You and Mishima dragged me into this and then ended up ditching me.”

“What are you two talking about?” Makoto asked, walking up to them.

“M-Makoto!” Ryuji stammered. “I-It’s nothing! Just some, uh… guy talk! Yeah, right Ren?”

“H-Huh, o-oh, yeah.” Ren nodded.

A part of her was curious about what happened during ‘guy talk’, but she figured it was more important to tell them about her predicament.

“About what I told you guys yesterday…” she trailed off.

She explained the situation with the principal, and everything that he had told her, while keeping her conversation with her sister private.

“What the hell?!” Ryuji shouted. “That’s effin’ bullshit!”

“Quiet down, bonehead!” Morgana hissed. “We can’t let anyone catch us together!”

“Guess we can’t really meet up at school, then.” Ren muttered. “Sorry about this, guys. It’s because of me that they’re suspicious.”

“No, don’t blame yourself, Ren.” Makoto said, shaking her head. “I’m the one that the principal’s ordering around. I just… I wish I knew what to do. I’m supposed to be the leader, but I don’t know how to handle this. I’m so sorry, everyone…”

“Alright, alright, let’s all stop playin’ the blame game, ok?” Ryuji asked. “It ain’t none of our faults.”

“H-Huh?” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry, Makoto.” Ren comforted, offering a gentle smile. “We’ll all get through this together. We’re a team, after all.”

“Yeah… you’re right.” she smiled. “Thanks, you two.”

“I bet he’s the one who sent Ann after us!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“He must be suspicious of what I’m doing with you two.” Makoto assumed.

“And it ain’t just that. He’s also blackmailing you with a letter of recommendation.” Ryuji argued.

“That’s true.” she admitted. “Well, either way, we should wait for Yusuke. We can talk more about this another day.”

“The sooner, the better.” Ren added.

“So, we’ll meet up another day at Leblanc to discuss. Sound good?” Makoto asked.

Everyone nodded.

“Alright.” she said. “Now, let’s split up and enter the school at different times. We don’t want to make the principal even more suspicious.”

They each made their way into the school at separate times from each other.

* * *

After classes had ended, she thought about simply heading home to relax.

Fate had other plans for her, however.

“Hey, inmate!” Caroline snapped.

She looked into an alley by her house, seeing the twin wardens waiting at a door to the velvet room.

“Did you bring the persona we wanted?!” Caroline yelled.

“The Ame-no-Uzume with Frei, correct?” she asked. “I have it with me.”

“Then could you show it to us?” Justine asked.

She nodded, walking into the Velvet Room with them, showing the twins her persona before heading back out.

“Excuse me…” Justine trailed off.

“Was there something else?” she asked.

“We request that you bring us to another area so that we can evaluate your rehabilitation.” Justine explained.

“Like the toy store from before?” she asked.

Both of the twins nodded.

“Did you… want another toy to play with?” she asked.

“W-We don’t play with toys, inmate!” Justine insisted.

“Yeah, we already got rid of that Jack Frost plush!” Caroline added.

She highly doubted that…

“Well, what did you have in mind?” she asked.

“The place that we wish to evaluate for your rehabilitation is somehow able to simulate the feeling of being in the ocean, despite being indoors.” Justine explained.

“Rumor has it that sea creatures from all over the world have gathered there.” Caroline added.

“Are you… talking about an aquarium?” she asked.

“Is that what it’s called?” Justine asked.

“Bring us there right now!” Caroline demanded.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing the urge to sigh as she led them out of the velvet room and towards the aquarium.

* * *

“Hmm… the glass walls certainly make it seem like walking on the floor of the ocean.” Justine observed.

“It does seem a bit familiar…” Caroline added.

“Does it remind you of the Velvet Room?” she asked.

“A bit.” Justine nodded. “But that room represents a different type of sea. The sea of human souls. But I suppose there’s still a bit of a connection there.”

“This is interesting! Let’s start checking out the other exhibits!” Caroline ordered.

She led them through the aquarium, thankfully not getting too many odd looks from the other visitors.

As strange as this situation was, she couldn’t help but smile when she saw the twins’ reaction. It reminded her of when she was a little girl, and her father first brought her to the aquarium.

“There are so many different kinds of fish.” Caroline observed.

“Indeed. The semi-transparent, floating invertebrates were quite fascinating.” Justine smiled.

“The jellyfish?” she asked.

Justine nodded, although Caroline frowned.

“Those were pretty creepy.” Caroline muttered. “I thought that that really big killer whale was much better.”

She couldn’t help but smile when she saw the twins’ reaction. I reminded her of when she was a little girl, and her father first brought her to the aquarium.

“Creepy?” Justine scoffed. “What nonsense. The jellyfish were far more appealing.”

“No, the killer whale is clearly superior!” Caroline argued.

As the two twins continued to argue, she couldn’t help but shake her head.

“They really are just like children.” she mused.

Suddenly, both of them turned to her.

“Inmate…” Justine trailed off.

“Settle this!” Caroline finished.

“M-Me?” she stammered, wondering what to say. “Well, I think that they have their merits, and there's nothing wrong with liking either of the-”

“That wasn’t one of the options available to you!” Justine cut her off.

“Can’t you do anything right, Inmate…” Caroline sighed.

“It’s like getting told off by elementary schoolers…” she thought, internally sighing.

“Regardless, I believe we’ve finished our inspection.” Justine noted. “However, I am still curious as to why humans go through the trouble of capturing other creatures and putting them on display.”

“I suppose… it’s to observe nature.” she told them.

“How arrogant… imprisoning them as if they were nothing but playthings to them.” Justine frowned.

“Even the adorabl- I-I mean aquatic sea otters?!” Caroline gasped.

Justine sadly nodded.

“How deprived! If humans admire nature so much, they should go move to a rainforest.” Caroline scoffed.

“These two… really don’t have many good things to say about people…” she mused, frowning.

“I still don’t really understand you humans.” Caroline grumbled.

“Regardless, the assignment is complete.” Justine acknowledged.

“All right, then it’s time to go back.” Caroline nodded.

“You have our thanks for showing us this place.” Justine said.

They could be a handful at times, but she had a lot of fun.

**STRENGTH CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

Before they could even take a step to leave, however…

“A free penguin show will begin shortly at the exhibition room. Please come and enjoy the performance.”

A voice came from a nearby loudspeaker.

“...What is a penguin?” Caroline asked.

“It’s a black and white flightless bird that typically lives in very cold places.” Makoto explained. “It’s also super cute! Not as cute as pandas, but they’re up there.”

“Hmm…” Justine trailed off.

Justine and Caroline quickly huddled together, whispering amongst themselves for a while before turning back to her.

“Well, neither of us have any desire to see this exhibit.” Justine insisted. “Absolutely none at all!”

“But since you look like you’re just dying to see this, inmate, then I guess we’ll tag along.” Caroline grinned.

She suppressed a giggle at their obvious excitement. Maybe she could have some fun with this…

“I don’t know… maybe I’ve been out for too long. Perhaps I should head home…” Makoto trailed off.

“H-Hold on, inmate?! We- I mean you want to see the show, don’t you?” Caroline stammered.

“I-I’m sure that this could help with your rehabilitation, inmate!” Justine quickly added.

This time, she couldn’t suppress her giggle. “Well, alright, I suppose I’ll go.”

She went with the twins to the penguin show, smiling as she saw their eyes light up while they watched.

After the show ended, they returned to the Velvet Room, and she went home for the day.

* * *

**5/28 Saturday**

After classes ended for the day, she quickly made her way out of the school.

A part of her wanted to meet up with Ren and Ryuji, but with people keeping a close eye on them both in and out of the school, they would have to be very careful.

So instead, she opted to visit Shiho in the hospital instead.

She made her way to Shiho’s hospital room, gently knocking on the door.

“Come in.” Shiho said.

She walked inside, seeing Shiho sitting up in bed with a small smile.

“Makoto. It’s good to see you.” Shiho said.

“Good to see you too, Shiho.” Makoto greeted. “Sorry that I haven’t been able to visit much.”

“It’s alright.” Shiho insisted. “I’ve had a lot of other visitors as well.”

“Oh, you have?” she asked. “It must be Takamaki-san, right?

Shiho nodded. “She’s been here a few times, but also… there have been members of the volleyball team too.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” she smiled. “I’m glad that they’re giving you support.”

“Y-Yeah…” Shiho trailed off.

“Is something wrong?” she wondered.

“Well… most of them have been supportive, but…” Shiho trailed off.

“But what?”

“I guess… I feel a little guilty.” Shiho admitted. “This was their dream. So many of them lived for volleyball, and were hoping to get scholarships. And now it’s all ruined…”

“That’s not your fault, Shiho.” Makoto insisted. “The blame lies solely on Kamoshida. Isn’t that… what you told me earlier?”

Shiho let out a small smile. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, Makoto.”

“How’s everything been, Shiho?” Makoto asked. “Have you been healing alright?”

Shiho nodded. “My legs are much better now. I can move them around a bit, but I can’t quite stand on them yet.”

Shiho demonstrated this by moving her leg up and down a bit.

“I think… that I’m going to be discharged from the hospital soon.” Shiho said. “I’m expected to make a full recovery.”

“That’s wonderful, Shiho.” Makoto beamed. “I’m so happy to hear that.”

“I am too, but… it’s just… I think it’ll be a little intimidating to readjust to normal life again.” Shiho confessed.

“I guess you’re right.” Makoto acknowledged. “You’ll be going to a new school too. Well, if there’s anything that you’re having trouble with, I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thank you, Makoto.” Shiho said, her smile widening. “I don’t know what I’d do without you or Ann.”

“Anytime.” Makoto promised. “I am still your friend and sempai, after all.”

**SUN CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

After speaking with Shiho for a little longer, she said goodbye before heading out of the room… and finding herself face to face with another visitor.

“T-Takamaki-san?”

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Ann snapped.

“I came here to see Shiho.” she answered.

Ann scowled. “After everything you’ve done, you want to see her?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What are you talking about?!” Makoto yelled back. “What do you mean, ‘after everything I’ve done’?”

“You knew all about Kamoshida’s crimes, but you didn’t do anything about it!” Ann accused. “You always take the teacher's side!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto insisted. “I heard rumors, but I hadn't heard or seen anything concrete. Where did you even hear something like that…?”

“From other students!” Ann replied. “Other students that know that you don’t care about them!”

Makoto clenched her fists in anger. “I do care about them!”

“The only thing you care about is a letter of recommendation!” Ann snapped. “That’s why you do whatever the teachers ask you to do! You didn’t do anything for Shiho!”

“And what did you do?!” Makoto exclaimed, before immediately regretting her words.

Ann… was a victim too. It would be horrible to blame her for anything.

“Takamaki-san, I’m so sorr-”

“You’re right.”

“Huh?”

“You’re right… I couldn’t do anything to help Shiho back then.” Ann admitted. “But even if I couldn’t help her deal with Kamoshida, I can help her deal with you! A-And, if not me, then the Phantom Thieves! They’ll stop you, just like they stopped Kamoshida!”

“Both of you, stop it!”

Both girls turned into the hospital room, where Shiho was looking at them with tears in her eyes.

“Shiho!” Ann exclaimed. “Don’t worry, I’ll deal with-”

“Makoto is my friend!” Shiho exclaimed.

“W-What?” Ann stammered. “Shiho, don’t you realize? Niijima-”

“Didn’t know what was going on!” Shiho cut her off. “But… the day Kamoshida bruised me, she tried asking me if I was all right. I… was too scared to tell her what happened, but I knew she cared.”

“Is that really true?” Ann asked.

Shiho nodded. “She’s visited me several times to keep me company. And Kamoshida… tried to abuse her too. I don’t think she’s to blame here.”

“Shiho…” Ann trailed off.

“Takamaki-san, I’m so sorry about what I said.” Makoto expressed. “I know that you were a victim too.”

“I… I need to go.” Ann muttered.

“W-Wait, Ann!” Shiho called, but Ann had already run off.

“I’ll try to talk to her at school.” Makoto offered.

“Thank you.” Shiho replied. “I’m sorry about what she said. Please try not to hold it against her. Ann’s been through so much too.”

“I know.” she nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She exited the hospital, heading home and crawling into bed early.

First the principal, then her sister, now Ann…

“Why is everyone getting on my case…?” she muttered.

Morgana curled up next at her side, trying to offer comfort as she felt the stress beginning to get to her...

* * *

**5/29 Sunday**

With it not being a school day, the Thieves decided to meet up at Leblanc, to discuss recent events and their next course of action.

“So, Ann confronted you at the hospital, right?” Ryuji asked.

“The two of you seem to know each other.” Yusuke observed. “Could you perhaps convince her to stop her spying.”

“I don’t know her that well.” Ryuji shrugged. “We both went to the same middle school, but that’s it, really.”

“From what you’ve said about your encounter at the hospital, she does seem to believe in the Phantom Thieves, however.” Yusuke noted.

“Maybe we could use that to our advantage.” Ren brought up.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“If we reveal ourselves as the Phantom Thieves… Do you think that she would become our ally?” Ren asked.

“She has to! Someone with such an angelic appearance can’t be bad!” Morgana insisted. “Ahh… Lady Ann…”

“What on Earth has gotten into you?” she wondered.

“Is this like… the cat version of puppy love?” Ryuji asked.

“Bah! You just don’t understand.” Morgana muttered.

“Well… this actually gives me an idea.” Ren mentioned. “The past few days, I’ve caught Takamaki-san following me around at school. If I could sneak a message to her...”

“You could arrange a meeting between us!” she realized.

“That does seem risky, even if she does support the Phantom Thieves.” Yusuke pointed out.

“That’s true.” she acknowledged. “Let’s discuss to see if we can make this plan a little safer.”

After talking about it for a while, they managed to make several small adjustments to the plan, although she was still unsure if they would go through with it.

After they finished discussing, she saw Ren grabbing a portable stove from the corner of the room.

“You gonna make something?” Ryuji asked.

“Things have been pretty stressful lately…” Ren trailed off. “I thought that we could have a small celebration to get our minds off of everything for a bit. Who wants hot pot?”

“That sounds amazing!” Morgana exclaimed.

“Heh, anything with meat’s good with me!” Ryuji grinned.

“As long as we finish it off with porridge.” Yusuke requested. “With extra parsley, of course.”

“Let’s not spend too much money.” she cautioned. “But that does seem like a nice idea.”

“Great. I’ll ask Boss if I can borrow a pot, and I’ll whip something up.” Ren offered. “We can split the costs on the ingredients five ways.”

“Actually…” Yusuke trailed off. “I saw these wonderful paintbrushes for sale, so I regrettably-”

“Four ways.” Ren corrected.

Yusuke nodded his thanks.

“I could help you with the cooking, Ren.” Makoto offered.

“Thanks! Can you get the ingredients while I set the table and everything?”

She nodded, leaving to grab the food with Yusuke and Ryuji.

* * *

After everything was prepared, Ren and Makoto made a nice lunch for the group.

“Oh, man, I couldn’t eat another bite.” Ryuji moaned, laying back in his seat.

“That was delicious!” Morgana complemented. “So, you can cook other things besides curry!”

“I’ve been learning.” Ren grinned. “Thanks for helping out, Makoto.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble.” she insisted. “I prepare meals for my sister all the time, and besides, you did most of the work.”

“For your sister?” Yusuke inquired.

“It’s just the two of us.” Makoto told him. “She’s often busy at work, but I try to do what I can to be useful to her.”

“And your parents?” Yusuke asked.

Ren winced at Yusuke bringing up such a sensitive topic. “Ah, Yusuke, that’s a-”

“No, it’s alright.” she said. “We know a lot about you, Yusuke, but you don’t really know much about us.”

“That is true.” Yusuke nodded. “You know everything about my past. It’s only fair that you share yours.”

Ryuji shrugged. “Alright, I’ll tell you. It’s nothin’ special, though. My dad left when I was young, so it was just me and my mom. I… wanted to get a track scholarship to help her out, but I screwed that up when I hit Kamoshida. Guess I’m just a really bad son…”

“Ryuji… don’t say that.” Makoto said.

“It’s alright.” Ryuji muttered. “I haven’t gone through nearly as much shit as you two.”

“What does he mean?” Yusuke wondered.

She explained what had happened to her family, while Ren explained the situation with his probation.

“Goddammit!” Ryuji yelled. “Just listenin’ to it pisses me off! You seriously got an assault on your record for that?”

Ren nodded. “No one believed a word I said…”

“That woman seems awful as well.” Yusuke pointed out. “You saved her, but she kept quiet about the truth.”

“I think that man was pressuring her.” Ren figured. “That might be why she didn’t tell the truth.”

“Do you remember who that man was?!” Morgana asked. “They seem like exactly the type of person whose heart we’d steal!”

“I can’t remember…” Ren admitted. “It was so dark, and I was in shock...”

“That’s understandable.” Morgana sympathized. “I know all about forgetting important events in life…”

“Whoever that man was, he’ll be hard to track down if he was able to keep his identity secret.” Yusuke brought up. “Especially if they were able to get the police to do his bidding.”

She frowned, wondering who could possess that kind of power, and why would the police follow them.

“It’s fine.” Ren insisted.

“No, it’s not, man!” Ryuji argued. “It’s bullshit how assholes like that guy can just get away with what he did, and people in the position to do something about these problems just pretend they don’t exist!”

“Fixing these problems is quite the daunting task…” she trailed off. “But we can’t give up! If we continue to fight for justice, we might just inspire more people to act!”

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji grinned.

“Sounds good to me!” Morgana added. “The more missions we do, the better!”

Yusuke nodded, and Ren gave a smirk.

She could feel the determination from the group. It seemed that sharing stories had brought them all a little closer.

**FORTUNE CONFIDANT: RANK 2**

After helping put everything away and cleaning up, she said her goodbyes and moved to leave Leblanc and head home.

However, Yusuke stopped her at the door.

“Makoto, I need your help with something!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“If this is about the nude modeling, I’m afraid the answer is still no.” she sighed.

Yusuke paused for a moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Yu-”

“Makoto, there’s a second thing I need your help with!” Yusuke exclaimed.

“And what would that be?” she asked.

“Do you remember the first time you brought me into the Metaverse?” Yusuke asked.

She nodded.

“The first time that Ren brought me into the Metaverse, I was absolutely mesmerized by its aesthetic.” Yusuke explained. “But finding out that was a manifestation of sen- of Madarame’s distorted desires prevented me from enjoying it.”

“That’s understandable.” she nodded. “Were you having artist’s block, and needed help finding inspiration?”

“Actually, I was hoping to go to Mementos again, but I’d like your assistance.” Yusuke stated. “If I could go there without having to focus on changing hearts… I might be able to focus on capturing distortion on canvas.”

“And you wanted me to join you in case any enemy shadows show up.” she assumed.

Yusuke nodded. “Would you be able to help me with this, leader?”

“Well… alright.” she relented. “But we shouldn’t stay too long, and we should stick to the upper floors.”

Yusuke nodded, the two Thieves heading into the Metaverse.

* * *

“Human desires…” Yusuke muttered as he glanced around the Metaverse. “To think that the same thing that produced the beauty of Sayuri can also create such morbid fabrications…”

“It’s certainly a complex and mysterious topic.” Makoto added.

“Perhaps that’s why I find it so fascinating…” Yusuke trailed off. “And yet, it is this very place that is responsible for my current slump.”

“How so?” she wondered.

“I held so much faith in the art world before.” Yusuke told her. “But discovering the greed and unchecked desires hidden within has soured my view of it.”

“That must be rather demoralizing…” she replied.

“It is.” Yusuke admitted. “I… I realized that this world can be a twisted place. This world is proof of that. Knowing this, I can’t help but wonder if true beauty can even exist in this world. And even if it can, can it be captured by someone like me? Someone who was tainted by Madarame’s depravity?”

“I think you’re being too hard on yourself.” Makoto comforted. “You aren’t Madarame. You were a victim.”

Yusuke said nothing, instead continuing to sketch in his notepad.

It was a while before he spoke again.

“It was a while before I could work up the motivation to pick up a brush again.” Yusuke admitted. “I thought that confronting the source of my issues head on might help.”

“That might be it!” she encouraged. “That might just be what you need to break out of your-

“AH!” Yusuke suddenly shouted. “Inspiration has struck! This must be it! Such brilliant composition! My heart races!”

She wasn't sure what changed, but she was happy for him.

Before she could congratulate him, however, several shadows formed in front of them.

“Shadows…” she muttered.

“How unfortunate… for them.” Yusuke stated. “I’m brimming with energy.”

“Are you?” she asked.

Yusuke nodded. “Indeed. I ate today.”

Yusuke called for Goemon, who blew chilling winds through his pipe at the shadows, knocking them all to the ground.

“Fox, now!” she commanded.

She swiftly dispatched the majority of their foes with her fists, while Fox went after the last one.

“Goemon, now!” Yusuke yelled.

With a mighty slice from his weapon, Goemon cut all of the shadows in two.

“Hrmp… once again, I have cut a worthless object.” Yusuke muttered.

“Perhaps it’s best that we leave for now.” she suggested.

Yusuke nodded. “I suppose so. I’m thankful that you came with me. You’re much like Theo.”

“Theo?” she wondered.

“Van Gogh’s brother.” Yusuke explained. “Even if Van Gogh did not achieve fame in his lifetime, he found an admirer and supporter in his brother. Not only did you assist me with Madarame, but you continue to assist me now.”

“O-Oh, thank you.” she stammered, a tad embarrassed from the praise.

“I’ll be sure to work as hard as I can to support the Phantom Thieves.” Yusuke promised. “It's the least I can do for everything you've for me.”

As Yusuke expressed his gratitude, she could hear a voice in her head.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Emperor** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**EMPEROR CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

“I’ll let you know when I finish the painting.” Yusuke said. “Now let’s leave.”

After exiting the Metaverse, she said goodbye to Yusuke, and went home for the day.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.6%


	24. New Allies

**5/30 Monday**

“Oh, no no no! This is horrible!” the principal groaned, rubbing his temples.

He had just received a call about how one of his students had just been arrested.

Things had just gone from bad to worse for him lately. First, everything about Kamoshida had come to light, giving an enormous amount of bad press towards the school, and by extension, himself.

And now that those Phantom Thieves had changed the heart of that artist, that Mafia group went looking for another way of making money.

And they had settled on his students, likely because they knew he couldn’t fight back without angering his superiors.

Still, he was confident that he would have been able to sweep it under the rug, and get the police to look the other way. But now that one of his students had been arrested…

This would surely bring even more negative press to him, and potentially a police investigation if things escalated enough.

That was twice now that those Phantom Thieves had gotten in his way… he needed to deal with them, and fast!

A knock at his door startled him out of his thoughts.

“Principal Kobayakawa?”

He had nearly forgotten that he was expecting someone.

“Ah, Takamaki-san! Come in!”

Having been called done to the principal’s office, Ann slowly made her way inside.

“Have you made any progress in your investigation?” the principal asked.

She bit her lip. it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to mention the doubts that she’d been having.

“I… I saw Niijima-sempai a few days ago. She was hanging out with Sakamoto-kun and the transfer student.” Ann recalled.

“I see… that is troubling news.” Kobayakawa muttered. “Is there anything else that you discovered?”

“Well… I saw Niijima-sempai at the hospital.” Ann added. “She was visiting Shiho.”

“E-Excuse me?!” the principal stammered. “She was speaking with Suzui-san?! What were they discussing?!”

“I don’t know.” Ann answered. “By the time I got there, Niijima-sempai had just left Shiho’s room.”

“I see… have you been visiting Suzui-san?” the principal asked.

“Yeah… why?” Ann asked.

“The next time you speak with her… I would like you to tell her not to… share any information about what happened during her ‘incident’.” the principal requested.

“What?!” Ann exclaimed. “And why not?!”

“Well, there’s been a lot of media attention on our school lately.” the principal informed her. “I was going to tell all of our students not to speak with the media about anything that’s been happening.”

Ann narrowed her eyes, growing suspicious.

“It sounds like he’s more upset that Kamoshida was caught than about what he did.” Ann mused.

“High school can be a stressful time in anyone’s life, so we’d like to do whatever we can to manage that stress, including trying to keep all this attention off of the school.” Kobayakawa explained.

“...I think that everything that Kamoshida did was a lot more stressful to them.” Ann countered.

The principal squirmed in his seat, not expecting that response. “A-Ah, well, what happened was unfortunate, of course. But because we care about the mental health of our students, we have hired the services of Dr. Maruki, and-”

Ann began tuning him out, not wanting to hear his excuses.

“Ugh… I know he’s just using me, but why…?” she thought.

The fact that he was bringing Shiho into this bothered her. It was if he wanted to silence her…

It sounded like he only cared about the negative press.

She had her suspicions that he was involved with covering up Kamoshida’s crimes, but it wasn’t like she had proof.

But assuming that he only cared about making himself look better, that would explain a few things.

The hiring of Dr. Maruki, the cleanup event happening today… those would make the school look good.

Stopping students from talking about the Kamoshida incident would stop bad press…

“He also asked me to deal with the Phantom Thieves.” Ann mused. “If he was converting Kamoshida’s crimes, he probably wants to get back at the Phantom Thieves for exposing his crimes and making him look bad.”

“Takamaki-san, are you listening?”

“H-Huh?” Ann stammered. “Oh, of course! I was just wondering about the Phantom Thieves. Do you think… they could be students?”

“I believe it’s a possibility.” the principal answered.

Ann began thinking about it some more.

“He also asked me to investigate some students… Ren and Ryuji.” she mused. “I know those two are troublemakers… but they also have a connection to Kamoshida.”

She had deduced their connection to Kamoshida, as well as their friend Yusuke’s connection to Madarame.

That left Niijima.

Before, she had wondered where her place in all this was.

But Shiho had said that Kamoshida tried to abuse her too.

There was a connection.

So, did that mean…?

“No way…” she muttered. “She can’t be!”

“Err, what was that?” the principal asked.

“Oh, n-nothing.” Ann insisted. “I just remembered that I had something else to do… um, somewhere else!”

“Well, as long as you know what I expect from you.” the principal said. “Oh, and do remember to inform Suzui-san not to speak to the media. And that goes for you as well. There will be… severe consequences if you do.”

She could feel a chill run down her spine. “Y-Yes, sir…”

“Good. You’re dismissed.” The principal replied.

She didn’t have to be told twice.

She quickly got out of his office and wandered the halls until she spied the transfer student.

She… she had to keep spying on them.

If it meant protecting Shiho from that asshole of a principal, she would do whatever he asked.

* * *

She tried to stealthily tail him, but found her efforts quickly thwarted.

The transfer student turned around, an unamused look on his face.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I-I was just, um…”

“You were following me.” Ren accused, glaring.

“I-I’m sorry!” Ann stammered, backing up from him.

Noticing her fear, he eased up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I-It’s fine.” Ann muttered. “I just…”

“Did you think I was going to hurt you?” Ren wondered.

“W-Well… I don’t know, honestly.” Ann muttered. “Were you actually, um...”

“I was convicted of assault… but I was framed.” Ren told her. “I know that the other students like to gossip about me or Makoto, but you shouldn’t be so quick to believe them.”

“And why not…” Ann muttered.

Ren frowned. “Well, when Kamoshida was still around, I didn’t believe all of the rumors about you.”

Ann winced, remembering all of the terrible rumors that had spread about her during that time.

“You really didn’t believe them?” she asked.

Ren nodded. “I know how bad it is to have people spread false rumors about you. So I try not to judge people on things I can’t be sure about.”

“Oh…” Ann trailed off.

“I think that the best way to learn if something about Makoto is true or not is to just talk to her.” Ren suggested.

“Maybe he’s right…” Ann mused.

While she was lost in thought, Ren started to run off.

“Hey, wait up!” Ann yelled.

Ann tried to continue following him… only to see him walking into the bathroom.

The boy’s bathroom.

“Damn it.” Ann muttered.

Seeing as the cleanup event was coming up soon, she figured she’d put off her investigation for a bit and make her way to the park after changing.

“I’m in way over my head...” Ann muttered to herself, walking the halls. “What the hell am I doing?”

After wandering the halls for a bit, she felt something rumbling in her bag.

“W-What the?” she stammered, opening her bag.

“MRROW!”

Suddenly, a cat hoped out of her bag, spilling some of her things onto the floor.

“W-What?! A cat?!” Ann stammered.

The cat quickly ran off, leaving her to pick her things.

Among them, however, was something she had never seen before.

“Hey, what’s thi-WHAT?!” she gasped.

Quickly, she stuffed it into her bag and ran somewhere she wouldn’t be soon before pulling it back out.

“This is… a calling card?” Ann gasped.

It looked exactly like the one she had seen on the news when they were talking about that artist.

Her hands trembling, she carefully read the letter.

_“The Phantom Thieves request a meeting. We will meet at 5:00pm today. Please arrive 10 minutes early, and come alone.”_

The letter went on to give precise instructions on where she was supposed to meet them.

At the very least, it didn’t mention stealing her heart, but the design was exactly like Madarame’s card.

“This can’t be some kind of prank…” she mused. “The card looks so real.”

* * *

After taking the time to change and set everything up, all of the students made their way to the park.

Seeing as she had a little bit of free time, Makoto quickly sought out Ren and Ryuji in the crowd.

“Hey, Makoto, what’s bonkin’?!” Ryuji yelled.

“Um… excuse me?” she questioned.

“That’s just Ryuji’s new greeting.” Ren chuckled. “He swears it’ll catch on someday.”

“That’s cause it will!” Ryuji insisted, before growing serious again. “...So, is everything set?”

She nodded, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I’ll work on a disguise. Ren?”

Ren unzipped his bag, revealing Morgana inside.

“The card was delivered!” the not-cat beamed.

“Then everything’s all set.” she smiled.

“Are you going to be cleaning with us?” Ren asked.

“Sadly, no.” she denied. “The staff all arranged us into groups, and we’re all split up.”

“Tch. Figures that they’d split us up.” Ryuji grumbled.

“Ah well, guess we can meet up during lunchtime.” Ren suggested.

“That's the spirit!”

The three of them turned to see Dr. Maruki.

“Dr. Maruki?” she said, surprised. “Are you helping out with cleaning too?”

“Oh no, I’m part of the cooking crew.” Maruki said. “There’ll be plenty of _snacks_.”

Ren immediately perked up.

“Enough with the snacks!” Ryuji snapped.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Maruki chuckled.

“U-Um… D-Dr. Maruki?”

They all turned to see Akemi awkwardly shuffling behind the doctor.

“Oh, Ito-kun.” Makoto greeted. “Are you helping with making the soup?”

Akemi shyly nodded. “Dr. Maruki, w-we’re ready to begin.”

“Ah, I suppose I should get going then.” Maruki said, excusing himself.

“Y-Yasui-san wanted to s-see you…” Akemi mumbled.

Chiaki wanted to see her? She would have to keep an eye out for her.

“I need to get ready to.” she told them as Maruki left. “I’ll see you two later.”

She walked into position, picking up a megaphone to address the students.

“Good morning, Shujin Academy students and staff…” Makoto greeted. “Please pick up all trash located in the areas assigned to your group! Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served!”

She really liked the megaphone she was using. It made her feel more… empowered!

“Hey Makoto, where do I put this?” Ryuji asked, holding up a wallet.

“There’s a police box over there!” she instructed.

“Gah, my ears!” Ryuji shouted.

“O-Oh… my bad.” she mumbled, realizing he was right next to her while she spoke into the megaphone.

“Geez, is that how loud I sound when I yell?” Ryuji asked.

“Well…”

“Never mind, don’t answer that.” Ryuji quickly said, walking towards a nearby police box.

As Ryuji walked away, she could hear some of the other students whispering amongst themselves.

“Wait, Sakamoto actually brought that wallet back?”

“I would have thought he would have taken it for himself.”

“Say, do you think he’s one of those guys who got involved with that gang?”

“Oh man, one of my classmates got involved with those guys.”

She frowned when she started hearing the rumors. Before she could stop them, however…

“Niijima.”

She turned around, seeing Chiaki behind her.

“Yasui-san.” she greeted.

“I assume you’ve been hearing all of the rumors?” Chiaki asked.

“You mean about the gangs?” she asked.

Chiaki nodded. “Turns out, there’s a kernel of truth to them. A few days ago, one of the students got arrested for drug transporting.”

“What?!” she exclaimed.

“No doubt about it. There’s a gang in Shibuya that’s targeting the students here.” Chiaki concluded. “It pisses me off! Instead of actually doing something about it, the school’s just having us picking up trash!”

“Well, it’s a good deed.” she pointed out.

“I know that.” Chiaki scoffed. “But it’s obvious that the only reason that this is happening is that the principal wanted to look good.”

“...I’m inclined to agree.” she admitted. “I spoke to him a few days ago, and he seemed completely unconcerned about the gang when I informed him of it. He even requested that I not investigate.”

“Tch, that sucks.” Chiaki muttered. “But I guess it’s what I expected.”

“If we want to investigate this, we’ll have to be discrete about it.” Makoto advised. “We wouldn’t want the principal finding out.”

Chiaki nodded. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground. I suggest that you do the same.”

She walked off, heading to her own group.

For the next hour, she quietly worked at picking up any trash that she could find in her area.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a fluffy-haired girl in her group doing the same, a frown on her face.

“That’s that girl I met on the roof.” she mused. “She’s been frowning the entire time she’s been here.”

Keeping her ears open, she overheard a few students talking to each other.

“Say, that’s that rich Okumura girl, right?”

“She’s the CEO’s daughter, right? I’d like to talk to her, but...”

“It’s a little intimidating, yeah.”

She saw the fluffy-haired girl let out a sigh, sitting down at a nearby bench.

It was clear that she overheard what they were saying.

While, at the very least, the other students weren’t malicious towards her, they did seem a bit intimidated.

Maybe… she just needed a friend.

She sat down next to the girl at the bench, hoping to comfort her.

“Um… hello.” she greeted. “Is everything ok?”

“Huh?” the fluffy-haired gasped. “Oh, it’s nothing. There’s no need to concern yourself.”

She frowned, wondering what she could do to help.

After thinking about it for a bit, she cleared her throat before speaking.

“It's pretty tough, having everyone associate you with something or someone else.” Makoto said.

Haru looked up, a surprised look on her face.

“People always compare me to my sister… but I’m nothing like her.” Makoto confessed. “She's successful, strong, elegant… I feel like I’m living in her shadow.”

It was something she rarely brought up with others, but the principal's comments comparing her to her sister still stung for that reason.

“I see… I guess you understand.” the fluffy-haired girl muttered.

“Your name is Haru Okumura, right?” she asked. “I remember that we met on the school roof a while ago.”

“Oh, yes.” Haru nodded. “Now I remember.”

“If you’d like, I could let you continue to grow your plants up there.” Makoto offered.

“Really?” Haru asked. “Are you sure that’s alright?”

“I don’t mind.” she smiled. “The roof is probably a good place to raise them, right?”

Haru gave a small smile. “Yes. I loved gardening when I was little, but I haven’t been able to do it at home recently. Things have been… hectic at home.”

She figured the recent scandal probably had something to do with that, but didn’t voice those thoughts.

“If you ever need any assistance, I’d be happy to help you with your gardening.” Makoto offered.

“Oh no, I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Haru stressed. “I wouldn’t want to bother you.”

“No no, it wouldn’t be any problem at all.” Makoto insisted. “I’m actually a little curious to try out gardening myself.”

“Really?!” Haru exclaimed. “Oh, I’d love to teach you!”

“Thank you.” she beamed. “Oh, and if there’s anything else that you're troubled with, I’d be happy to help you in any way I can.”

“That’s very kind of you.” Haru smiled. “Thank you, Niijima-san.”

Haru seemed to perk up, happy about their newly formed friendship.

_I am thou, thou art I… thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that carry you to thy future. With the birth of the **Empress** Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…_

**EMPRESS CONFIDANT: RANK 1**

* * *

“Man, this park is trashed… we really should do something about all these people that just throw trash on the ground.” Mishima muttered. “Maybe we could-”

“HELLOOOO!”

“BWAH?!”

Mishima fell to the ground in surprise.

“Say, you must be that Nishima guy that Niijima-san was talking about!” the other student observed.

“T-That’s Mishima.” Mishima corrected. “A-And you are…?”

“Takayo Tachibana!” Takayo enthusiastically greeted. “I needed to speak to you about something important… but not here.”

She grabbed his hand and led him to a more secluded area.

“W-Wait! You’re h-holding my-”

“Shh! Talk later!” Takayo instructed, running with him until they were alone and out of the other student’s earshot.

“W-What do you want?” Mishima nervously gasped.  
“I talked with the Student Council President a while back.” Takayo brought up. “We had a very interesting conversation about the Phantom Thieves.”

“O-Oh, r-really?” Mishima stammered.

“Yeah.” Takayo nodded. “One thing we discussed was the Phan-Site, and how it’s used by people to post requests to the Phantom Thieves. I was really interested in who was running that site.”

Mishima could feel himself beginning to sweat. “O-Oh… you don’t… have an idea who it is, d-do you?”

Takayo beamed. “Of course I know! It’s you!”

“Wha-HUH?!” Mishima exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know all about how you manage the Phan-Site.” Takayo grinned. “And that’s something I have to say about that…”

“Oh man, what’s she going to do?!” Mishima thought, panicking. “She isn’t going to turn me in, is she?! I’m doomed!”

“I wanted to say… that that’s so cool!” Takayo beamed.

“Please don’t tell anyone about… wait, huh?” Mishima questioned.

“I think it’s really cool how you put together a resource to help victims of crimes.” Takayo confessed. “So many people are too afraid to speak out, or have no one to turn to. So having something like this really helps them.”

“Y-You really like it?” Mishima stuttered. “You’re a Phangirl?”

“The biggest Phangirl!” Takayo emphasized. “Your website is really cool too! I’ve always been interested in website design myself.”

“You have?” Mishima asked.

Takayo nodded. “Online articles are the way of the future! I’m really curious, so you could tell me about it later. Oh, and also, I could snoop out people in need of help, and spread the words of the Phantom Thieves!”

“T-That would be great!” Mishima said.

“Cool! There’s this nice cafe near the school. We can meet up there sometime to discuss.” Takayo offered.

“W-Wait, you mean like a d-d-da-”

“Oh, people are coming!” Takayo warned, cutting him off. “See you then, Mishima-kun!”

Takayo walked off, leaving Mishima to himself.

“Wow…” Mishima muttered.

* * *

Taking a small break from cleaning, Ren sat down at a nearby bench after filling up his trash bag.

“Wait, that’s the transfer student, right?”

“Was he actually picking up trash?”

“Quiet! What if he hears us?”

Ren sighed, trying to drown out their whispering.

“Oh! I’ve finally found you!”

Ren looked up, seeing a red-haired girl smiling down at him.

“Oh, hey Yoshizawa-san.” Ren greeted. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to thank you properly for when you helped me this morning.” Kasumi told him.

This morning, he had intervened when an older man had harassed her on the way to the park.

“It’s nothing, really.” Ren assured her. “I just did what anyone would have done.”

“I thought it was really brave of you.” Kasumi complemented. “But… there was one other thing that I wanted to talk about…”

“What would that be?” Ren asked.

“I heard a lot of my classmates gossiping about you.” Kasumi frowned.

“I see...” Ren muttered.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I believe any of them!” Kasumi insisted. “I don’t really like gossip or rumors or any of that. Admittedly, I haven’t known you for long, but you’ve already helped me out so much, that I can’t imagine any of them being true!”

“Really? T-Thanks.” Ren stammered, surprised at her trust in him.

“The rumors ranged from serious to… downright bizarre.” Kasumi informed him. “Arson, murder, gang member… and elephant tusk trafficker, I think it was?”

“Did they tell you I’m a thief, too?” Ren joked.

Kasumi let out a laugh. “You, a thief? I can’t see it. Now I know you’re kidding.”

“So, what about you?” Ren asked. “I know that you’re a transfer student like me.”

“I’m a gymnast.” Kasumi explained. “Shujin offered me a scholarship when they heard about me. One day, I hope to compete at the top level.”

“That’s pretty cool.” Ren complimented. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“I hope so…” Kasumi trailed off. “Lately, I’ve been having trouble getting the results that I’ve wanted in competitions, and I’m worried that I might be overthinking things. Maybe… you could give me some advice?”

“Sorry… I don’t really know a lot about gymnastics.” Ren muttered.

“Not about that.” Kasumi replied. “You just always seem so calm and collected. I thought that maybe you could help keep my nerves under control. And, well… it helps to have someone willing to lend an ear from time to time.”

“Well, if you really think I can help, then sure.” Ren smiled.

“Thank you!” Kasumi beamed. “We should exchange contact information too.”

Kasumi pulled out her phone, but frowned when she looked at it.

“Something wrong?” Ren asked.

“It shut down.” Kasumi explained. “Sorry, my smartphone’s been acting up lately.”

She waited a few moments before smiling again.

“Alright, it’s working again.” she said, before brightly smiling at him. “I call you and we can meet up when we have some free time, Amamiya-sempai!”

“Y-Yeah.” Ren mumbled, his face beginning to redden. “That, um… sounds good.”

Kasumi waved before heading back to her group.

Figuring that it was time to start clearing again, Ren got up from his seat, only to let out a gasp as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Heeey, Renren!” Ryuji smirked. “Soooo, who was that girl?”

“Huh?” Ren wondered.

“Just wondering if that girl’s your type.” Ryuji grinned. “Oooor… are you more into Makoto?”

“T-That’s… what are you talking about?!” Ren stammered. “They’re both just friends!”

“Sure, now they are, but you’re probably crushin’ on one of them, right?” Ryuji asked.

“N-No, of course not!” Ren exclaimed.

“Come on…” Ryuji smirked. “I caught you staring at Makoto in that tight Metaverse outfit of hers tons of times.”

“That was only a few tim- I mean I would never do that!” Ren insisted. “I-I need to get cleaning!”

Ren quickly got away from the laughing Ryuji, diligently cleaning up the park until it was time for food.

* * *

As soon as food was being passed out, Makoto quickly grabbed her soup before finding and sitting next to Ren and Ryuji.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come?” Ren asked.

“I wouldn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, like her discovering your identities.” she told them. “And I’ll have Mona with me.”

“So, are you ready?” Ryuji asked.

She frowned. “I still need something to wear. A disguise. Something I won’t get recognized in. Different from what I normally wear.”

While she was going to reveal her identity to Ann, she didn’t want anyone else to know, so it was good to be cautious in case she didn’t come alone.

“Maybe ask Takao-san?” Ren suggested. “She might know a lot about fashion.”

“Maybe…” she trailed off considering it. “It’s just, Eiko’s been feeling a little down late-”

“HEY BESTIE!”

Suddenly, Makoto found herself being pulled into a hug from behind.

“Eep!” she squeaked.

“Hey, Makoto!” Eiko grinned. “I’ve been looking for you!”

“E-Eiko!” Makoto stammered. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“My bad.” Eiko giggled. “So, are these your friends?

“I’m Ryuji.” Ryuji grinned. “If you’re friends with Makoto, then you must be cool.”

“Aw, thanks!” Eiko beamed. “And I’ve already met Renny!”

Ren frowned, not happy with the nickname.

“Renny?” Ryuji laughed. “That’s a new one. Makoto and I just call him Renren.”

“Oh. My. God.” Eiko gasped, glancing at Makoto. “You have a pet name for him?! That’s so cute!”

“H-Huh?!” Makoto stammered.

Both Makoto and Ren started to blush.

“Oh man, you didn’t know?” Ryuji laughed. “You know, Ren likes to call her Beep Boop.”

Eiko let out a squeal, causing Ren and Makoto to blush even harder.

“And sometimes, he even calls her Quee-”

“That’s enough, Ryuji!” Ren and Makoto shouted at the same time.

After Eiko and Ryuji stopped laughing, a flustered Makoto went up to Eiko.

“Eiko… I was going to go clothes shopping today, but I wanted something different than my normal look, and I’m not sure where to start.” Makoto told her. “I thought you could help.”

“Hmm… well, do you have a basic idea of what you want?” Eiko asked.

“Well… very different from what I normally wear.” Makoto began. “Maybe something… rebellious?”

Rebellious seemed good. It would make for a good disguise, but also be good for selling the Phantom Thief angle.

“Rebellious… like a punk look?” Eiko asked. “Oooh, I can see it. Sure, I can help.”

“Thank you, Eiko.” she expressed.

“Alright Makoto, time to embrace your inner punk!” Eiko exclaimed. “Let’s go!”

* * *

“E-Eiko, I’m not sure about this…” she stammered.

“Oh come on, at least try it on!” Eiko encouraged.

“O-Ok…” she relented.

She stepped out of the changing booth, covering her ears as Eiko let out a squeal.

“You pull it off so well!” Eiko beamed. “You have to look!”

She took a look at herself in the mirror.

She kept her red and black Shujin skirt, but she now had a black belt around her waist, and a chain attached to it. Attached to her skirt were garters connecting thigh high stockings and high-top sneakers. She wore a bright red scarf and gloves, and finally, she wore a tattered and stitched dark grey shirt with a black spattered pattern.

The outfit was so different from anything she had ever worn in her life.

It showed a lot more skin than she was used to.

Her past self would never have considered wearing something like this.

Sae would probably faint if she saw her like this.

But she loved it.

Something about ‘embracing her inner punk’ just felt right to her.

Before, she had simply picked out clothes that were simple and functional. And while she still liked clothes like this, she really felt that she was expressing a new part of her with these clothes.

“I… I really like it.” she smiled.

“See? I told you it looked good!” Eiko beamed. “Now come on and I’ll pay for them.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Of course!” Eiko grinned. “Besides, my parent’s give me a huge allowance, and I’m in a great mood today!”

“You are?” Makoto asked. “I’m happier for you Eiko, but the last time we talked…”

“Oh, right, the exams.” Eiko recalled. “Well, now that, like, it’s been a while I’m not as upset. Plus, sooo much has happened recently. We’re still having sweets, right?”

“Of course.” she promised.

“Great! I’ll tell you all about it then!” Eiko beamed. “I have to go now, though! I’m meeting up with my special someone!”

“Special someone?” she mused as Eiko paid for her clothes and left. “I wonder what she means by that?”

Feeling her phone buzzing, she saw that she had gotten a text from Sae.

 **Sae:** Discussing a case with a coworker over sushi, so don’t bother making dinner for me.

“What?! She was supposed to get sushi for me!” Morgana yelled. “Err… for us, I mean.”

“Oh well.” she shrugged. “Another time, then. For now, we have something more important.”

She got into disguise, and made her way towards the meeting place.

* * *

“Alright, I’m in position.” she called.

She arrived at the meeting place, reading the next volume of her manga while she waited.

She had also opted to wear a face mask and a plain black hat to further disguise herself.

“Makoto, that manga is still not stealt-

“Just get into position, Morgana!” she snapped.

“Y-Yes, Queen!”

The not-cat served as a lookout, but they didn’t have to wait for long.

“She’s coming!” Mona hissed.

“Keep an eye on her.” she instructed.

“Soooo cuuuute…”

“Focus, Mona!”

“R-Right!”

Morgana kept a careful eye on her for a few minutes, ensuring that she wasn’t followed or that she had anything on her.

“All clear!” Morgana called.

She slowly came out of her hiding position, confidant that Ann didn’t come here with bad intentions.

“So you really did come.”

Ann gasped. “A-Are you…?”

“A Phantom Thief.” she answered.

“T-Then you can help me!” Ann exclaimed, giving a sigh of relief. “Please, I need your help!”

Slowly, she removed her hat and mask.

“M-Makoto?!” Ann stammered. “W-Why are you wearing that?”

“I-I didn’t want anyone else to recognize me!” Makoto excused. “I was worried that you would have brought someone else with you.”

“Wait, so then… you really are a member of the Phantom Thieves…” Ann muttered.

“You don’t seem all that surprised.” Makoto said.

“I suppose I managed to work things out on my own.” Ann said. “When I saw that you were hanging out with people related to Kamoshida and Madarame… that’s when it clicked.”

“Takamaki-san…” Makoto trailed off. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t act fast enough to-”

“Stop!”

“Huh?”

“Stop apologizing!” Ann snapped. “You… this whole time, you were a Phantom Thief. You stopped Kamoshida! But I couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t protect Shiho!”

Ann’s eyes began welling with tears as she poured her heart out.

“I accused you of turning a blind eye to Kamoshida… that you only cared about a letter or recommendation… I even posted about you on the Phan-Site!” Ann confessed.

She gently tried to comfort the younger girl. “Takamaki-san, it’s ok. I know that things have been hard for you too.”

“I hate this!” Ann cried. “I hate all of this! Shiho was all I had left in that sorry excuse of a school! And they know that… that’s why they’re all taking advantage of me…”

“Takamaki-san, let me help you.” she pleaded. “Last time, I wasn’t able to help you and Shiho before it was too late. That’s why I’m determined to help you two in any way I can.”

“H-He’s pitting us against each other, and trying to silence Shiho, and everyone else from talking about the incident! He’s using me and I don’t know what to do!” Ann exclaimed.

“Who is it?” she asked, gentle but firm. “Please, Takamaki-san, I need a name.”

Ann paused for several moments, wiping her tears before finally responding. “If you really are a Phantom Thief, then I want you… to change Principal Kobayakawa’s heart.”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 2

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.8%


	25. Dance, Carmen!

“Conveyor belt sushi… what a shame…”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Akechi.” Sae pointed out. “Remember, I’m the one paying.”

“I suppose so.” Akechi sighed.

The two of them grabbed their sushi before sitting at a table.

Unfortunately, it seemed that a few people in the restaurant recognized Akechi.

“Woah, is that Akechi-kun?!”

“I want his autograph!”

“Who’s that grey-haired lady with him? Is that his mom?”

As Akechi dealt with his fans, Sae found herself growing more and more annoyed.

“Sorry about that, Sae-san.” Akechi said, trying not to chuckle. “Or perhaps I should call you mothe-”

“Don’t even think about it!” Sae snapped, glaring.

“My apologies, I couldn’t resist.” Akechi said. “At least the sushi is good, though. I’ll have to give this place a good review in my blog.”

“Why do you even have a food blog?” Sae asked.

“It’s nice to have hobbies.” Akechi shrugged. “Don’t you have any, Sae-san?”

“…I enjoy kickboxing.” Sae admitted. “I used to enjoy riding my motorcycle to, but had to sell it.”

“I remember you mentioned that both you and your sister were taught martial arts.” Akechi recalled. “Does your little sister also…”

Sae let out an amused grin. “Makoto? Ride a motorcycle? That would never happen.”

“Really? You think so?”

“She’s not the rebellious type.” Sae said matter-of-factly. “Not like I used to be.”

“Hahaha… if you say so.” Akechi grinned. “So, how’s everything been with you, Sae-san?”

“I suppose… I’ve been a bit on edge.” Sae sighed.

“Try to calm down, Sae-san.” Akechi advised. “All this stress will turn your hair gre… err, I mean…”

“What was that, Akechi?” Sae muttered, eyes narrowed. “It sounded like you were about to say something about my hair. My _silver_ colored hair.”

“Oh, of course! Silver!” Akechi nodded. “Whatever you say, Sae-san.”

“I was just working on a case at the moment.” Sae mentioned. “The defense has been rather bothersome.”

“How so?” Akechi asked.

“They keep insisting that I allow them to talk to their client.” Sae responded.

“Are you going to let them?” Akechi wondered.

“I will… as soon as I get a confession.” Sae bluntly stated.

“That’s… how long have you had them in custody?” Akechi replied.

“A little over a week now.” Sae answered. “They’re not a hardened criminal. Simply a high schooler. I expect that they’ll crack soon. If not, I’m able to hold them for a few more weeks.”

“Doesn’t that seem… a little intense for a high schooler?” Akechi frowned.

“They’re guilty of transporting drugs for a criminal gang.” Sae explained.

“Even so…” Akechi trailed off.

“Nothing I’m doing is illegal.” Sae pointed out. “These are all things that I’m able to do as a prosecutor.”

“The powers given to you as a prosecutor are given with the understanding that you’ll be acting in good faith.” Akechi replied.

“I’m working to take down members of a criminal gang. How is that not acting in good faith?” Sae scoffed.

“...What is this really about, Sae-san?” Akechi inquired, his eyes narrowing. “Why are you so fixated on this?”

“The gang that kid was working for… I think that they might be connected to what happened three years ago.” Sae muttered. “I need information. Anything that I can get.”

“Ah, I remember you mentioning something like that.” Akechi recalled. “I know that you don’t trust the official report, but…”

“I have to find out for myself what happened.” Sae insisted.

Akechi frowned. “The police probably won’t be very fond of you questioning their work. You should try to maintain a good relationship with them. Otherwise it could harm your career.”

“...I know.” Sae sighed. “But I have to. This has been bothering me for so long… I need to know what really happened that day.”

“But-”

“Akechi.” Sae cut him off. “It sounds like you don’t want me to do my job. To bring these criminals to justice. Even if I’m wrong, and that what happened to my father is exactly as the police said, we still need to take care of the criminal gang that’s become far more aggressive as of late.”

Akechi’s face twitched in annoyance as he racked his brain trying to think of how to respond.

“...Of course, Sae-san.” he smoothly said. “I was simply concerned about any harm this could have on your career, and how that would affect you… and your little sister.”

Sae seemed taken aback for a moment, but swiftly regained her composure. “I see. Regardless, I have to see what I can do.”

The two finished their meal in silence, Sae paying for the food before leaving.

After he left and was satisfied that he was alone, Akechi let out a scowl.

“That woman’s sharper than I thought.” Akechi mused.

He would have to make a few calls later…

* * *

**5/31 Tuesday**

“So, we’re changing the principal’s heart?”

After school had finished for the day, she had gathered everyone up at Leblanc to discuss the plan.

“That’s right.” she nodded. “It was requested by Ann… and thinking about it, I agree that we have to do something about him.”

“He’s been trying to pin us against each other, and tried to blackmail you.” Ren added. “I agree with going after him.”

“That bastard also tried to cover up Kamoshida’s crimes!” Ryuji yelled. “He’s had this coming for a long time.”

“He certainly sounds like a truly vile man.” Yusuke noted. “Changing his heart will also mean no more spying or attempts to keep us apart.”

“Sounds like everyone’s in agreement.” Morgana noted.

“Then let’s spend today making preparations.” she ordered. “Medicine, lockpicks, and anything else that we might need.”

“Before that, while I assume he has one, we should probably check if he has a palace just in case.” Ren brought up.

“Good idea.” she nodded, entering the principal’s name into the Metanav.

Match found.

“Just as I thought.” she said. “The principal does have a palace.”

“I’ll start getting some supplies.” Ren offered. “We can work out the codewords later.”

After working out a few more details with the others, they ended their meeting for the day.

* * *

After meeting with the others, she went to go home, but she felt her phone buzzing along the way.

She pulled it out, seeing that she had gotten a text.

 **Eiko:** Hey Prez, I’m free right now. You wanna get some sweets together?”

 **Eiko:** There’s so much that I need to tell you!

She smiled. She had already gone over the group’s supplies, so it would be nice to relax for a little bit.

She texted a reply to Eiko, telling her to meet her at a nearby sweet shop, and set out.

* * *

“I’m glad that you’re feeling better, Eiko.” Makoto brought up.

The two girls sat at a small table, enjoying their sweets.

“I was feeling pretty down at first, but I started to feel better when I saw Dr. Maruki for therapy.” Eiko told her. “He gave me some really helpful advice.”

“Oh, that’s good.” she smiled. “Dr. Maruki is a really nice man, isn’t he?”

Eiko nodded. “I was a little skeptical at first, but it sounds like he really wants to help people. Oh, but I’m not even finished yet!”

“Oh really?” Makoto asked. “Did something else happen?”

Eiko eagerly grinned. “Weeell… I met this guy named Tsukasa. He’s… amazing, Makoto! The two of us just like, clicked with each other!”

“Oh, so you made a new friend. That’s wonderful, Eiko.” she smiled.

Eiko’s face reddened, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Yeah… he’s wonderful. A-And just the other day… he… he…”

“What did he do, Eiko?” Makoto wondered.

“He asked me out!” Eiko squealed, taking her by surprise.

“H-He did?!” Makoto stammered. “But you haven’t known him for long, have you?”

“I know, I know, but like, we’ve really hit it off!” Eiko defended. “He’s charming, funny, and he’s pretty cute too! But also… he pays attention to me, and asks me how my day is going. That’s… probably what I like the most about him.”

“Eiko…” Makoto trailed off.

After seeing the… strained relationship Eiko had with her brother, she felt relieved that she had been talking to people who cared.

“I said yes, of course!” Eiko beamed. “We’ve been dating for a few days now.”

“Congratulations.” Makoto expressed. “Does he go to Shujin?”

“No, he’s a few years older than me.” Eiko explained. “He’s a club host over in Shinjuku.”

“A club host in Shinjuku…” she mused. “And a few years older than her…”

That immediately raised a few red flags. Her sister and father had always warned her about the predatory men who took advantage of young women there, and some of the cases they had dealt with in the area.

“You look a little skeptical.” Eiko noted, reading her expression. “But really, he’s a great guy!”

“Have you told anyone else about him?” Makoto inquired.

“Well, no… but I doubt my parents would care.” Eiko shrugged.

She still couldn't help but feel a little concerned for her friend.

“Oh, I’ve just had the greatest idea, Makoto!” Eiko exclaimed. “We could have a double date!”

“A… double date?” she repeated.

“Yeah!” Eiko grinned. “It’ll give you a good excuse to finally ask out your crush!”

“R-Ren is not my crush!” she insisted.

“I never mentioned a name.” Eiko giggled.

“Oh come on!” Makoto protested. “You're always teasing me about him!”

Eiko continued to giggle. “You know, Prez, Tsukasa was pretty interested in meeting you when I told him about you.”

She raised an eyebrow. That… also seemed very strange.

Still… maybe she could see for herself what he was like.

She just hoped that Ren wouldn't mind...

“Well… maybe I’ll consider it.” Makoto replied.

Eiko gave another squeal, taking Makoto's hands in her own.

“Hell yeah! You go, Makoto!” Eiko yelled. “I’m sure your ‘Renren’ will say yes! Especially if you wear that new outfit of yours!”

She tried to fan herself as she felt her face heating up.

What would Ren think of how she looked in her new outfit?

“W-Wait?! Why am I thinking about this?!” she thought.

“Anyway, speaking about your outfits, I was thinking of changing my look one of these days too.” Eiko brought up.

“You were?” Makoto replied.

“Yeah… maybe something like what you normally wear.” Eiko suggested. “How would you describe it?”

“Describe it? Well, I suppose I would call them functional. Practical. It looks nice… but I don’t know if I’d call myself beautiful in them…”

“Aww, come on, Prez, don’t sell yourself short!” Eiko pleaded. “You look great!”

“T-Thanks, Eiko.” Makoto mumbled.

As the two of them continued to talk about other topics, she could feel her bond with Eiko growing stronger.

**Faith Confidant: Rank 3**

“Thanks for the sweets, Makoto.” Eiko expressed. “I’m… happy to have a friend like you.”

“I’m happy to have you as a friend too.” she smiled.

They said their goodbyes, and she went home for the day.

* * *

**6/1 Friday**

“Alright. Is everyone ready?”

The entire group had gathered close to Shujin, ready to storm Kobayakawa’s palace.

“We still need two code words, right?” Ren asked. “Guess we should try and guess the location.”

“Let’s start simple. Shujin Academy.” she guessed.

Match not found.

She frowned. “Where else could it be?”

“Does he have a house somewhere in the area?” Ren asked.

“I don’t think so. There isn’t much besides office buildings and stores in Aoyama-Itchome.”

Her phone dinged, signaling that she had gotten a keyword.

“Wait! His palace is the entirety of Aoyama-Itchome?!” she cried.

“Most take up a really large area.” Morgana commented.

“Well, alright! Only one keyword left!” Ryuji grinned.

“Now for the source of his distortion.” Ren said. “That one… will be tricky.”

“Ummm… school?” Ryuji guessed.

Nothing.

“Park?” Morgana guessed.

Still nothing.

“Let’s think about this.” Makoto said. “The principal… most of his actions have to do with making the school, and himself, look good.”

“He wants people to look up to him and the school… to worship them, even.” Ren added.

“Worship… that’s a good word for it.” she nodded. “And you worship… at a church?”

Match not found.

“I think we’re on the right track.” Yusuke engorged. “Perhaps a shrine?”

Match not found.

“Then… maybe a temple?” Ren suggested.

Match found.

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji grinned. “Now all we gotta do is begin the na-”

“Hold it!”

They all quickly whipped around, seeing Ann staring at them.

“Niijima-san… were you going to…?” Ann trailed off.

“Just about to.” Makoto replied.

Ann glanced around at the boys. “So, the three of you must be Phantom Thieves too. Is that right?”

“Takamaki-san, was there something you needed?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“If you guys are going to change the Principal’s heart, then let me help!” Ann requested.

She immediately shook her head. “Absolutely not!”

“Why not?!” Ann exclaimed. “I want to help you!”

“This ain’t a game, Ann!” Ryuji grumbled. “This is gonna be really dangerous!”

“Dangerous? What are you guys going to do?” Ann asked.

“You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.” Ren shrugged.

“So, what, it’s a secret?” Ann replied.

“If everything goes well, the principal will end up confessing like Kamoshida and Madarame.” Makoto informed her. “We have everything under control.”

“But there has to be something that I can do to help!” Ann insisted.

“Why are you so adamant about assisting us?” Yusuke wondered.

She already had an idea why.

“Takamaki-san, Shiho doesn’t blame you for-”

“I know that!” Ann cut her off. “But… I…”

Ann’s fists were clenched, her entire demeanor showing barely repressed anger.

The principal had no doubt caused her a great deal of grief as well.

She took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn’t regret what she was about to do.

“...Ok, you can come… but on a few conditions.” Makoto relented.

“Makoto, are you sure?” Ren asked.

“I understand what she’s going through.” Makoto answered, before turning back to Ann. “But even so, we need to lay down a few ground rules.”

Ann raised an eyebrow. “Ground rules?”

“First of all, anything that happens during this operation is not to be discussed outside of this group.” Makoto started.

Ann nodded her understanding.

“Secondly, if I give you an order, you follow it.” Makoto instructed.

“O-Oh, ok.” Ann stammered, surprised by Makoto’s sudden serious seriousness.

“Makoto here’s our leader, the Queen.” Ren grinned. “Queen’s orders are absolute.”

“And finally, if I think things are getting dangerous, you’re leaving.” Makoto finished.

Ann frowned, but didn’t argue, knowing she wouldn’t be allowed to help otherwise.

“If everyone’s ready, then let’s go.” Makoto said.

Beginning Navigation…

* * *

They found themselves in a part of a town, much like before.

Only this town was far less advanced, appearing to be from Ancient History.

“The hell? Did we land in the Middle Ages or what?” Skull asked.

“...About a thousand years before then, I think.” she guessed.

She tried to get a better grasp of her surroundings… but it was rather hard with Ann’s screaming.

“Oh my God! Where are we?! How did we get here?! Who are you people?!”

“Lady Ann, please calm down!” Mona exclaimed.

“AHHH! Why is there a mutant cat talking to me?!” Ann shrieked.

“Takamaki-san, calm down!” Queen cried. “It’s just us!”

Ann’s eyes widened, taking a better look at them.

“N-Niijima-sempai?” Ann gasped. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s complicated…” she sighed. “But I suppose that we should explain.”

They did their best to explain everything about the Metaverse, codenames, and the process of stealing hearts.

Some of it went over Ann’s head, but she seemed to grasp most of it.

“So… we just need to find the treasure, then send the calling card to steal it.” Ann summarized.

“That’s the gist of it.” Joker confirmed.

Ann nodded, before turning her head towards Morgana. “So, what about the cat?”

“Well… First of all, Mona’s not really a cat. He claims to be human.” Queen explained.

“B-But you can call me a cat if you want, Lady Ann!” Mona stammered.

“Maybe she should call him desperate instead…” Skull muttered.

“Mona, do you have an idea on where the treasure could be?” Queen asked.

Mona glanced around before pointing his paw up north.

On top of a large hill stood a large citadel overlooking the town. Large walls of white stone prevented them from getting a good look inside.

“Hmm… if this palace encompasses all of Aoyama-Itchome, then that looks like about where Shujin is located.” Makoto noted.

“Makes sense.” Ren said. “Let’s get moving, then.”

The group made their way through the town, keeping an eye out for enemy shadows along the way.

The more she looked at the town, the more she realized how much the town was in disarray.

Trash and muck lined the streets, and the walls on the houses were cracked and falling apart.

She saw several people starving or passed out in the streets. At least, she hoped they were just passed out…

“This is awful…” Skull muttered, voicing what they all were thinking.

Queen nodded, continuing to monitor her surroundings.

Another thing that she noticed was many men and women, dressed in dirty, ragged tunics, were carrying different objects, from gold and silver, livestock, food and wine, and many other items.

“Hey, aren’t some of these people students from Shujin?” Ann asked.

On closer examination, she realized that she was right.

She quickly got in front of one of the students.

“Excuse me?” she asked. “Where are you all going?”

“You don’t know?” the student asked. “Every day, we travel up to the citadel to give offerings to our Lord Kobayakawa at the temple.”

She couldn’t help but clench her fists as the student walked off.

“Tch… that bastard thinks that highly of himself?” Skull grumbled.

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Ann frowned.

“Looks like this temple will be our best bet.” Makoto informed them, trying to keep her anger in check.

The Thieves followed the group of people along a path out of the village and to the entrance of the citadel.

At the entrance was a gate manned by two fearsome looking guards that looked like gladiators from an arena.

Seeing that the entrance was heavily guarded, she quickly ordered everyone to hide.

“There’s no way they’ll let us into that citadel.” Morgana grumbled.

“Well can't we just bust in?” Ryuji grumbled.

“That would alert every single guard in the citadel.” Makoto pointed out.

“Hang on, won’t they let me in?” Ann asked. “I’m not dressed in a mask or anything.”

“That's a good point.” Ren acknowledged. “If some other students are here, then the principal likely has a cognition of you too.”

Ann grinned, happy to have found a way to be useful.

“Alright, first we’ll need to find a change of clothes for Ann.” Makoto started. “Then, we’ll need to find a way for her to sneak us in.”

They made their way back to the town, hoping to accomplish their goals.

* * *

The first task was simple enough. Many of the people in the village hung their clothes outside of their houses to dry, so it was easy to find a tunic that fit Ann.

But finding a way to sneak them inside took a bit more planning.

The large walls of the citadel prevented them from entering anywhere but the guarded entrance, and the last thing she wanted was to alert all of the guards while Ann was with them.

As they tried brainstorming, she spied a couple of people carrying barrels, no doubt filled with food or other tribute.

“I have an idea.” Queen told them. “Let’s see if there are any other barrels around.”

“You think we can hide in them?” Ren wondered.

She nodded. “Ann, do you think you could convince some of the people here to help you carry some barrels?”

“Oh, sure, I can do that!” Ann promised.

“I remember seeing some empty barrels near the gate.” Fox recalled. “We should start there."

Sure enough, the group quickly found some barrels, all of the Thieves picking one to hide in, listening in on Ann nervously gesturing to the guards.

“What is it, peasant?” the guard grunted.

“Heeey, guys.” Ann greeted, putting on her ‘acting’ voice. “Could you, like, give me a hand with these barrels? I _totally_ wanted to offer these to, um, the prin- er, Kobayakawa.”

She resisted the urge to groan.

“That’s Lord Kobayakawa to you!” the guard yelled.

“O-Oh, right, right!” Ann quickly nodded. “P-Praise Kobayakawa!”

“What exactly is in those barrels?” the guard asked.

“O-Oh, you know, just… regular food and stuff.” Ann lied, her arms nervously swinging from side to side.

“What kinds of food?” the guard asked.

“Oh, well, you know… fruits like apples, and oranges, and grapes… I-I grew them all myself, actually, just for Lord Kobayakawa!” Ann claimed. “I-I’m a bit of a farmer, actually!”

“Ugh, who the hell is gonna believe her acting?” Ryuji whispered.

“I thought it was rather convincing...” Yusuke replied.

“Quiet!” she hissed.

The guards stared at her for a few tense moments before one of them shrugged. “Fine. Where are the barrels?”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Ann chirped.

Ann directed the guards to the barrels, who picked them all up and carried them into the citadel.

Ann tried to get a good look of her surroundings when she got inside.

Everything inside of the citadel seemed a lot cleaner and tidier than the village outside.

She held back a scowl when she saw the giant statue of Kobayakawa near the entrance.

She also spied what appeared to be a colosseum towards the back, and various small shrines and temples built around the citadel.

Unlike the homes from the town, the temples were in pristine condition, supported by ornate marble pillars.

The guards brought her to the largest temple, located in the center, dwarfing every other building in size.

The interior was just as impressive as the exterior, as more pillars held the marble walls. The top of the temple was dome shaped, a hole in the ceiling allowing her to look at the sky above.

As the guards led her down a small corridor, she noticed that the floors were absolutely spotless, although she thought the yellowish-beige tiles to be a little too gaudy.

The fact that they reminded her of the principal’s ugly suit didn’t help.

Finally, the guards led to a chamber filled with gold, food, and many other treasures.

At the other end of the room sat their target... Kobayakawa himself.

He looked mostly the same as he did in the real world, but his clothing was different. He wore a red toga over a white undershirt, sandle-like boots, and a golden laurel wreath atop his head.

As he reclined on his throne, several servants attended to him. Some of them were fanning him while another servant peeled and fed grapes to him.

The entire sight disgusted her.

“Oh? What’s in these?” Kobayakawa grinned.

“More fruit, my Lord.” the knight answered.

“Wonderful!” Kobayakawa grinned. “Put it with the rest.”

The guards placed the barrels down, before trying to escort her back out of the citadel.

“Now or never.” Ann muttered. “Everyone, now!”

The others burst from their barrels, pointing their guns at Kobayakawa.

“What is the meaning of this?!” The principal roared.

“Surrender and take us to your treasure!” Queen commanded. “Now!”

The shadow scowled. “So, you must be those Thieves I’ve heard about. Guards, capture them!”

The guards charged up to them, morphing into colorful red birds with silver wings.

“We don’t have time for this!” Queen shouted. “Johanna! Mafrei!

Even now, she still managed to find use for Johanna. While she didn’t quite excel in anything, being more of a jack of all trades, it grew stronger at a steady pace, meaning she wouldn’t need to be replaced like other Persona.

Once again, Johanna proved to be reliable, blasting her foes with nuclear energy, stunning them long enough for Ryuji to finish them off with a blast of lightning.

“Those guards were far too easy…” Queen muttered. “Wait! Kobayakawa is gone!”

“And so is Ann!” Fox pointed out. “We have to find them!”

“H-Hey! Let go of me, you jerk!”

Hearing Ann’s voice, they raced out of the temple, trying to find their companion and the fleeing shadow.

“Over there! Towards the colosseum!” Ren called.

“Hold on, Lady Ann!” Morgana called. “I’m coming!”

More guards quickly showed up, hoping to stop them from following.

“We don’t have time for this!” Queen shouted.

“Then what are we waiting for!” Ryuji yelled, picking Mona up and holding him above his head.

“AH! What are you doing, Bonehead?!” Mona cried. “Put me dow-”

“YEET!” Skull yelled, throwing Morgana into the air.

Morgana let out a scream before transforming into his van form, crushing the guards beneath him.

“Everyone, get in!” Makoto ordered, quickly taking the wheel.

She started the car as fast as she could, leaving the guards behind. She drove into the colosseum, the entrance thankfully being big enough for Morgana to fit through.

As soon as they entered the colosseum, a gate shut behind them.

“We’re trapped!” Fox shouted.

“Bahahaha!”

They glanced above the arena and into the stands, spying a laughing Kobayakawa and a tied-up Ann.

“Let her go!” Makoto commanded.

“Never!” the shadow roared. “Not only do you refuse to pay me tribute, but you conspire against me, and try to steal from me!”

“Tribute?!” Queen yelled. “So many people are suffering under your leadership! Your supposed to be protecting students, but the only thing you care about is yourself!”

“Is it so wrong to have ambition?” Kobayakawa scoffed. “I am slowly rising to the upper echelons of our country! Why don’t you envy me?!”

“There’s no way we could ever envy someone as rotten as you!” Ren shouted.

“You’re nothing but a bunch of delinquents!” the shadow exclaimed. “Time for some discipline!”

A gate on the other side of the colosseum opened, several gladiators pouring into the arena.

“Kill them all!” the principal shouted. “I don’t care how many of you it takes!”

The gladiators morphed into black haired women with the lower bodies of snakes.

“Flash Bomb!” Makoto cried.

She severed on Johanna in front of her foes, blasting them with energy and stunning one of them.

Mona and Joker riddled it with bullets until it fell, but had to quickly dodge when the others started throwing fireballs at them.

“Fox, blast them with Ice!” she commanded.

Fox nodded, knocking both of their opponents to the ground with chunks of ice, while the rest of them easily dispatched them.

“Heh… that all you got?!” Ryuji smirked.

“Hardly.” the shadow scoffed. “Bring in the next wave!”

More gladiators poured into the arena, these ones transforming into blue haired women who, instead of a stomach, had a giant silver wheel for a midsection.

Immediately, they blasted the entire group with strong winds, blowing them all off of their feet.

“Ahh!” Queen cried as she slammed into the ground from several feet in the air.

She quickly pulled herself despite her body's protests, seeing that that attack had done a number on everyone. Even Mona, who resisted wind attacks, had taken some damage.

Seeing that the enemy were preparing another attack, she made her move.

“Sudama!” she called. “Wind Wall!”

As Morgana healed their wounds with a Media spell, she cast a barrier that lessened the damage from the wind.

“Mona, keep us healed! Joker, lower their power! Skull, blast them!” she commanded.

In times like this, she needed to use her leadership skills to the best of her ability.

Her friend’s lives depended on it.

“Fox, let’s get in close!” she yelled.

Fox and her rushed one of the shadows, Ren using Tarunda on it so it couldn’t fight back as well.

The other shadow ran to help, but was blasted by Ryuji’s Zio spell.

As Ren ran to deal with the finishing blow, Yusuke and her finished off the first one.

Mona healed their wounds, but she could tell that the group was getting exhausted.

“Ha! Well, you may not worship me, but at least you’re entertaining.” Kobayakawa grinned.

“That’s… just all it comes down to, isn’t it?” Makoto panted. “You don’t care about anyone who isn’t useful to you or worships the ground you walk on. And you try to silence anyone who points out any of the horrible things that happen under your leadership.”

The principal scowled. “It’s all of your fault. Because of you, Kamoshida is in jail! He was the one that brought so much fame to the school in the first place!”

“And what about all of his victims?!” Queen snapped. “What about Shiho?!”

“Hrmp… it would be much better if they learned their place and kept quiet!” the principal muttered. “And that girl… she ruined everything! Her attempted suicide drew tons of negative attention from the media, and things have only worsened since then!”

Ann glanced over, eyes narrowing.

“She didn’t even have the decency to try and kill herself at her own home!” The principal spat.

Ann curled her bound hands into fists, glaring at the principal with all the hatred she could muster.

“You really are a monster.” Ren glowered.

“Oh, I’ll show you a monster!” The principal snapped.

One last gladiator rushed into the arena.

“Hah! You’ve only got one soldier left?” Skull taunted.

“Don’t underestimate it.” Queen warned.

The gladiator began to morph, their eyes widening when they saw the shadow before them.

“Oh shit…” Skull muttered.

Before them stood an absurdly large and muscular creature, standing at least 12 feet tall.

The blue creature had three heads, each with three eyes, and countless arms that looked strong enough to crush stone.

“Everyone, fire now!” Queen shouted.

All five of them fired all the bullets they had, but when they had finished, they found that they had dealt hardly any damage to the creature.

Skull and Fox tried to fight it head on, matching power with power.

Skull only managed to get a few hits in before the creature grabbed him with multiple arms, slamming him into the ground and tossing him aside.

“Skull!” Queen cried as she and Mona rushed to heal him.

“Tarunda!” Joker shouted, lowering the creature’s strength.

With the creature weakened, Yusuke was able to sneak around it and strike multiple times, but the creature’s other heads quickly noticed him, and attempted to charge itself up.

“Is it using Tarukaja?” she thought, before her eyes widened. “Fox, run!”

Before Fox heard her warning, the creature had regained its full strength, grabbed Fox, and threw him into a wall.

Next, the creature turned its eyes on Ren, recognizing him as the one who had weakened him.

“So, you’re pretty tough, but let’s see how you do against magic!” Joker smirked, sending an Eiha towards the creature.

Panic flashed across Ren’s face when the spell was completely nullified by the creature.

The shadow slammed its fist into Ren’s face, sending him sprawling across the arena.

“Get away from him!” Queen cried, running to face the shadow herself. “Psio!”

With Sudama still her active persona, she blasted the shadow with psychic energy.

The creature cried out in pain, but still wasn’t finished. It gave a deafening roar before increasing its power even further, barraging her with its numerous fists.

Each fist felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer, but she still refused to give up.

“Not… yet…” she muttered.

Up in the stands, the principal turned towards a still enraged Ann, smirking.

“I have to thank you… you’ve been a great help.” the principal said. “You brought the Thieves right to me, just like you said. Now I can silence them for good.

“Shut up…”

Immediately, the principal began to glare. “What did you say?”

“I said… you’ve pissed me off, you fat asshole!” Ann screamed.

_“My… it’s been far too long.”_

Ann’s eyes suddenly widened, glowing a bright yellow.

“ _Tell me… Who is going to protect them… protect her… if you don’t?”_

Ann cried out in pain, trashing in her binds.

_“Forgiving these men who would take advantage of you was never an option… Such is the scream of the other you…”_

“W-What’s going on?!” the principal stammered, shuffling away in fear.

_“I am thou, thou art I…”_

Ann gave one last blood curdling scream before drooping her head.

_“We can finally forge a contract.”_

“I hear you… Carmen.” Ann whispered.

As Ann raised her head, a red, cat-like mask appeared on face.

“You’re right.” Ann agreed. “No more holding back!”

“S-Stop this at once!” the principal pleaded, fear evident in his tone.

Blue flames flickered over Ann’s body, burning her rope bounds to nothing.

_“There we go… Nothing can be solved by restraining yourself.”_

Ann’s hands immediately grabbed at her mask, desperately trying to rip it off.

_‘Understand? Then I’ll gladly lend you my strength._

With one final cry, Ann tore off her mask, spattering blood over the stands as a blue pillar of light surrounded her.

Both her and the creature couldn't help but glance at the flames, feeling the explosion of energy all the way in the arena.

“N-No way…” she stammered, no other words coming to mind.

Suddenly, a large red fireball came bursting out of the pillar, slamming into the creature’s back before it could dodge.

For the first time, the creature fell to the ground, and a lithe figure jumped from the stands onto the creature’s back, slamming her heel into it.

Makoto gasped when she saw that it was none other than Ann Takamaki, now sporting a red latex catsuit, pink gloves, dark red thigh high boots, and a clipped-on tail.

Behind her stood a her Persona... an elegantly dressed woman with black hair and a red dress and heels, smoking a cigar as two strange men connected to her by vines vied for her attention.

“I won’t let myself be bound to someone else’s will any longer!” Ann declared. “Not to Kamoshida…”

She turned her head, glaring at the principal.

“And not to you!” she shouted.

Ann brought out a whip, lashing the creatures back again and again, taking out all of her repressed anger.

The creature tried to grab her with the arms on its back, but Ann quickly pounced off before glaring at the principal again.

“This school took everything from me!” Ann snapped. “And you just stood by and watched! When I’m done with this beast… you’re next!”

The principal began to panic, trying to find a way to escape.

As the creature slowly rose to its feet, she could feel herself getting healed. Glancing upwards, she saw Ann extending a hand to help her up.

“Come on.” Ann gently smiled. “We promised to protect Shiho and the others, didn’t we?”

She smiled back, taking her hand before facing the creature.

Both girls dodged the creature’s giant fists, going to opposite sides.

“Be careful, it’s made itself much stronger.” Queen warned.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Ann said confidently. “Dekaja!”

The creature’s strength instantly decreased to more manageable levels.

The large shadow tried to chase after Ann, but Queen was having none of it.

“Frei!” Queen cried, blasting the creature with nuclear energy.

The creature changed course, running towards Queen, while the other heads kept an eye on Ann.

Ann stuck a pose, winking at the shadow. “ _All yourssss.”_

The other two heads had their jaws drop, completely entranced by Ann.

The three heads began to fight amongst each other, trying to go in different directions.

Ann fired an Agi spell, slamming into the creature, this time leaving them with several burns.

“Now’s our change!” Queen shouted.

Ann shot another Agi spell, while Queen fired another Frei spell, causing a tremendous nuclear explosion that engulfed the entire creature, reducing it to nothing.

As soon as that happened, however, Ann collapsed to her knees.

“Takamaki-san!” Queen cried, rushing to her aid.

“Where… is the principal…” Ann muttered.

She glanced around the arena. “Looks like he managed to escape.”

“Then we… need to chase after him…” Ann panted.

She shook her head. “Not now. That shadow did a number on us, and you’re exhausted from awakening to your Persona. We’ll retreat for now and come back later.”

Ann frowned, but didn’t argue.

She gathered the group, and retreated from the palace.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 2

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 3

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 3

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 2

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.9%


	26. Concerns

They came out of the Metaverse panting and exhausted.

After making sure that everyone was ok, she turned towards Ann.

“It looks like you awakened to your Persona…” Makoto noted.

“W-Was that really what it was?!” Ann gasped. “I… have the same power as you guys?”

“Incredible, Lady Ann!” Morgana praised.

“W-Wait… Mona?!” Ann exclaimed.

Ren nodded. “Now that you’ve heard him in the Metaverse, you can hear him in the real world too.”

“That Persona of yours… its name was Carmen, correct?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah. But now that I know that you guys had Arsène and Goemon for Personas, I kinda wish that I’d gotten Fujiko as my Persona.” Ann sighed.

“Who’s Fujiko?” Makoto asked.

“Never mind that!” Ryuji snapped. “Now that Ann’s got a Persona, does that mean she’s part of the team?”

“Well…” Makoto trailed off. “That depends on what she wants.”

All the others glanced at Ann.

“I’ve always looked up to you guys… ever since you took down Kamoshida!” Ann grinned. “If there’s a way that I can help, then I’d love to join!”

“Glad to hear it.” Makoto smiled. “Welcome to the team, Takamaki-san.”

“Be nice to have another girl.” Ryuji muttered. “Way too many guys before…”

“I could have dressed as a woman if you requested it.” Yusuke suggested.

“Wha- how the hell would that help?!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“We’ll have to take a few days to stock up on supplies.” Morgana told them. “I’d also help if we had a good idea of the layout of the palace. we’d be able to make much more progress next time.”

“I could draw a map of the palace.” Yusuke offered.

“That would be very helpful, Yusuke.” Makoto nodded. “Please do.”

“So when will we be going back in?” Ann asked.

“A few days.” Makoto answered. “We are on a deadline. The principal told me that he’d only give me two weeks to find information on the Phantom Thieves. That was a few days ago. After that…”

“He might continue the investigation himself by bringing this to the police.” Ann muttered. “We’d better hurry, then!”

Makoto nodded. “Takamaki-san, do you mind exchanging contact information? It’ll let us keep in touch with each other easily.”

“Oh, sure.” Ann nodded, giving her number to the group.

“Was there anything else?” Ren asked.

“Actually, I wanted to speak with you in private about something, Ren.” Makoto brought up.

“Now’s your chance, Renren.” Ryuji whispered.

“S-Shut up.” Ren grumbled.

The others quickly left for home, leaving them alone.

“Umm… I’m not really sure how to go about this…” Makoto mumbled.

“Is something wrong?” Ren asked.

“Well…”

She explained the situation with Eiko and her new boyfriend.

“So you’re concerned about her because her boyfriend seems sketchy.” Ren summarized.

“I know that gangs own a lot of host and hostess clubs around Shinjuku.” Makoto explained. “Sometimes they’re used for drug or sex trafficking.”

“Think it’s like the gangs everyone’s talking about at Shujin?” Ren asked.

“Could be.” she nodded. “The way that she described him raised a few red flags.”

“So did you need my help with something?” Ren asked.

“W-Well…” Makoto stammered, her face reddening. “She suggested having a double date, so I was hoping… that you could pretend to be my boyfriend?”

Immediately, Ren’s face reddened. “B-Boyfriend?!”

“I-I’m sorry!” she stammered. “It was a silly idea, and I didn’t mean t-

“Hold on.” Ren cut her off. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“Then…?”

Ren grinned. “Yeah, I’d be happy to be your boyfriend. Err, t-to help Takao-san, of course!”

“Y-Yeah! For Eiko.” she agreed.

She was really surprised that Ren had agreed to the plan.

Even if they were only pretending to date, she didn’t think he’d agree.

She knew she wasn’t as… pretty or bubbly as other girls.

She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on things like that.

“So… when is this double date, anyway?” Ren asked.

“I’m waiting for Eiko to tell me about it, first.” she told him.

Coincidentally, she felt her phone vibrate as soon as she said that.

She glanced at it seeing that it was from Eiko.

 **Eiko:** Have u asked out yr date yet <3

She raised an eyebrow, and not just at the grammar.

Eiko would sometimes forgo grammar in texts when she was excited.

“Ren, do you know why Eiko put a less than sign next to the number three in her text?” she asked.

“Uh… I think that’s a heart, Makoto.” Ren mumbled.

“A-A heart?!” She repeated. “I-I’m sorry! I already told her that I’d, um… ask you out, so she must think…”

“I-It’s ok, I get it.” Ren nodded.

“Thank you for being so understanding.” she expressed, before texting Eiko.

 **Makoto:** I did. He said yes.

Eiko quickly replied.

 **Eiko:** OMG, congrats! The dates on the 6th! Txt u the deats l8r! Good luck wit your _Renren ;)_

She let out an embarrassed groan, not wanting to know what the semicolon and parenthesis meant.

“What’s wrong?” Ren asked.

“It’s nothing.” she shook her head. “The double date is on the 6th. Eiko told me she’d text me the details later.”

“Well, alright. I’ll see you then.” Ren promised.

She said goodbye to Ren and went home.

* * *

Feeling utterly exhausted from the palace infiltration, she plopped into bed as soon as she got home, Morgana curling up next to her.

“Another Persona user… and a beautiful one at that!” Morgana brought up. “I knew that she was something special!”

“You shouldn’t put her on a pedestal.” Makoto pointed out. “That kind of attention might make her a bit uncomfortable, especially after the situation with Kamoshida.”

“Oh… I didn’t really think of that.” Morgana muttered.

“Don’t let me catch you misbehaving.” Makoto lightly warned.

“C-Come on, I’m not some mischievous kitten! Don’t say that!” Morgana groaned.

She let out a giggle, scratching Morgana behind the ears as he started grumbling.

“You know, I’ve said it before, but you really are special, Makoto.” Morgana grinned. “It’s like you draw out the hidden potential in others. I would never have dreamed of meeting 5 other Persona users.

“I don’t know… I think I just got lucky.” she modestly dismissed.

“You should have a bit more confidence in yourself!” Morgana encouraged. “Everyone on the team follows and respects you as the leader.”

“But during that last battle, everyone was hurt.” Makoto argued. “If Takamaki-san hadn’t awakened to her Persona, we all might have died.”

“But it was because of you that she joined us in the first place.” Morgana pointed out. “I think that you’ve done a good job so far. That being said, if we plan on eventually going deeper and deeper into Mementos, then we might need to get some better equipment and brush up on tactics.”

She nodded, taking in his advice.

“Of course, if you’re going to step up your game, then I will too!” Morgana grinned.

That’s right. They’d all get stronger together!

**MAGICIAN CONFIDANT: RANK 4**

All speaking with Morgana a little more, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Saturday 6/2**

**Days Until Investigation: 7**

The school day went as expected. While she knew that the people that they targeted didn’t know about their palace being infiltrated, a small part of her still couldn’t help but worry.

“N-Niijima-sempai?”

She turned to see Akemi at a small stand near the cafeteria.

“Oh, is the bake sale going on?” Makoto asked.

Akemi nodded. “U-Um… would you like to…”

“Sure, I’ll buy something.” she chirped.

Her eyes quickly wandered over to the donuts.

“I-I didn’t know you h-had a sweet tooth, Niijima-senpai.” Akemi said, giving a small smile.

“J-Just a little one!” she insisted. “Anyway, how are sales?”

“G-Good. Very good.” Akemi smiled. “We’ll h-have plenty of funding at this rate.”

“That’s wonderful news!” Makoto beamed. “Thanks for all the hard work you put in!”

“Y-You’re welcome.” Akemi smiled.

She said goodbye to Akemi, enjoying her donut as she went to class.

* * *

After classes were finished, she ran into Ryuji in the halls on her way out of the school.

“Yo, Makoto!” Ryuji greeted.

“Oh, hello, Ryuji.” Makoto said. “What, um… what’s… bonkin’?!

Ryuji gave a big grin at her greeting. “Not much. What about you? You free today?”

“I am. Did you need something?” she asked.

“I was wondering if you were up for a jog around the school.” Ryuji told her. “Figured it could be some good trainin’.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Makoto smiled. “Will anyone else be going with us?”

“Nah, Ren’s been training at Protein Lovers.” Ryuji told her. “He lives pretty close to it.”

She had noticed that Ren was perhaps the most determined to become stronger.

“I’ll just change and meet you outside.” Makoto said.

After changing into their gym uniforms, the two teens jogged around the school. The longer it went on, however, the more she noticed Ryuji starting to trail behind. While she was getting pretty tired herself, she saw that Ryuji almost seemed to be in pain.

She quickly stopped, drinking some water before glancing at Ryuji, who was leaning forward with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

“Is everything ok?” she asked, concerned.

“Y-Yeah… I’m good.” Ryuji said, still panting. “It’s just… I want to move better and faster… but I just can’t, dammit…”

She gave a sympathetic look. “I… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Ryuji sighed. “...I remember that I used to be trainin’ for nationals, and now look at me.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

Both of them turned to see a few other students approaching them.

“Nakaoka? Takashi?” Ryuji gasped.

“Are these other members of the track team?” she asked.

“Yeah… they are.” Ryuji admitted.

“So, you’re running, huh?” Nakaoka asked. “I saw you from the window.”

“What, you gonna try to come crawling back to the track team?” Takeishi sneered.

She narrowed her eyes at their remarks. It seemed that there was some bad blood between them.

“Huh? H-Hell no…” Ryuji muttered.

Nakaoka looked around, frowning. “...Speaking of which, this was your secret training spot, wasn’t it?”

“So what?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s out spot now.” Nakaoka glared. “Us, the former track team.”

“We don’t even have a locker room, thanks to you.” Takeishi grumbled.

Ryuji said nothing to defend himself.

Before they could say anymore, she stepped in.

“Hold on.” she interrupted. “Last I checked, you don’t own the school. You can’t decide who can or can’t work out here.”

“Makoto, you don’t have to do this…” Ryuji trailed off.

“Niijima-senpai?” Nakaoka questioned. “Why are you hanging around this loser?”

“Be careful, Niijima-senpai.” another ex-member of the team warned. “He’ll hit you the second he gets pissed off. Heard his father was the same way. Like father, like son, right?”

Ryuji took a threatening step forward. “That doesn’t have anything to do with it!”

“Ignore him, Ryuji.” she advised, her own anger rising as well. “If you were as violent as he says you are, you would have already punched him for insulting you.”

One of the former track team members seemed to realize her point, backing up a step in fear.

Thankfully, Ryuji seemed to take her advice, calming down. “Look, I-”

“I don’t need to hear about your excuses.” Nakaoka spat. “Everyone was going through Kamoshida’s bullshit. The beatings, the impossible exercises… but we endured it for the track team. But you went and fucked it all up!”

Nakaoka took a few steps towards Ryuji, but she quickly got in between them.

“No one should have to endure that abuse!” Makoto argued. “Even if Ryuji hadn’t snapped, Kamoshida wouldn’t have stopped until the track team was disbanded because he thought of it as competition for his volleyball team. The abuse would keep escalating and escalating…”

“...Until someone was seriously hurt.” Ryuji finished, glancing down.

Nakaoka paused for a moment before shaking his head. “This doesn't concern you, Senpai.”

“Anything that concerns the other students concerns me!” she declared. “I’m sure you know what happened to the volleyball team. Kamoshida admitted to beating and even raping some of their members! Knowing that, do you still think ‘enduring it’ is the best solution?”

Nakaoka's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

“Well?” she asked, eyes narrowed. “I’m waiting for an answer.”

“... Why don’t you ask the volleyball team. Their team is in turmoil now too.” Nakaoka muttered, walking off. “I said what I needed to say.”

She let out a sigh after they left. At least she had given them something to think about.

“...I nearly decked that guy when he was talkin’ about my dad…” Ryuji sighed.

“But you didn’t.” she pointed out. “That’s what’s important.”

“Well, you did help calm me down.” Ryuji said, grinning. “I’m glad you were here with me!”

Ryuji raised his hand in the air, and a few moments later, she realized he was going for a high five.

As she high fived him, she felt as if their bond was growing stronger.

**CHARIOT CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

“Guess we should call it a day, huh?” Ryuji figured.

“Yeah, I guess so…” Makoto trailed off. “Still…”

“What’s up?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m worried about what he said about the volleyball team.” Makoto explained. “I hope that none of them blame Shiho...”

“Damn… I didn’t think about that.” Ryuji muttered. “That’d be messed up. At least I didn’t see anyone giving Ann shit after Kamoshida confessed.”

“Even now, we’re still feeling the effects of all the horrible things Kamoshida did.” Makoto mused.

A cynical part of her mind considered the possibility that the reason why Ann wasn't being blamed was because she had suffered in silence. Because Ryuji had stood up to Kamoshida’s abuses… because he had dared to stand up against authority, he was blamed for Kamoshida’s actions.

To blame victims of abuse like that… it was an awful mindset. A mindset that made victims less likely to speak up, and thus, allow people like Kamoshida to get away with their crimes…

“I’ll be sure to visit her again soon.” Makoto said.

“I’m sure she’d like that.” Ryuji replied. “Oh, and if you ever feel like getting in some more jogging, gimme a call.”

“Will do.” she smiled.

She spoke with Ryuji for a little longer before heading home.

* * *

**Sunday 6/3**

**Days Until Investigation: 6**

She spent the first half of the day gathering supplies and going over everything she had. The last time in the Metaverse had been something of a wakeup call for her.

She was responsible for the lives of all of the other members of the Phantom Thieves.

She couldn’t fail them.

Just as she finished going over her supplies, she felt her phone buzzing.

 **Naoya:** Niijima-san, do you have any plans today?

 **Naoya:** I thought that maybe we practice more martial arts together.

She smiled, texting her reply before heading out to the gym.

* * *

“Niijima-san!” Naoya greeted. “Glad you could make it!”

“Hello, Makigami-kun.” she smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

“Have you… heard the news about Madarame?” Naoya asked.

She was momentarily surprised that he had brought that up, but she quickly realized that it made sense considering that he was the one who had introduced her to Yusuke in the first place.

“I did hear about it.” she nodded. “I didn’t know much about Madarame, but I knew he was very famous. Hearing the extent of what he did was… shocking.”

“Have you talked to Yusuke recently?” Naoya asked. “I’ve been a little worried about how he’s been taking this, but I’ve been too afraid to ask.”

“He’s been… taking it as well as can be expected. He’s all right now.” she told him. “He told me he’s been staying at his dorm for now.”

Naoya nodded. “That’s good. I always thought that he was a little skinny, but I never thought…”

“Yeah…” she trailed off.

“Sorry.” Naoya muttered, shaking his head. “You didn’t come here to listen to me ask you things like that.”

“No, it’s alright.” she insisted. “I’m happy that you really seem to care for Yusuke.”

“Well, in either case, we should get started.” Naoya grinned. “Alright, let’s start with a few spars…”

The two of them spent the next hour sparing with their various martial arts.

While she found kendo to be a lot more draining than she had initially anticipated, she also found that it helped to build her endurance as well.

She was still no match for Naoya at it, even with him holding back, but she was improving.

After finishing their spares, they took a break on a nearby bench, sipping from their water bottles.

“How’s everything going with the restaurant?” Makoto asked.

“It’s been good.” Naoya told her. “We never did find out what happened to all of the stolen money, so I guess that those thieves must have spent some of it. Still, business has made up for it.”

“That’s good to hear.” Makoto smiled. “So, you said something about taking over the business one day?”

“Well, my parents would like that.” Naoya explained. “The restaurant started with my grandfather, who passed it down to my father. Although… they did say to me recently that they’d also be fine with me taking a different job if it was what I wanted.”

“That’s very understanding of them.” she replied. “Was there anything else that you wanted to do?”

Naoya frowned. “Well…”

“Yo, Naoya! How’s it going!”

A boy with reddish-brown hair and a black jacket approached them. He looked to be a year or two older than her.

“H-Hey, Kazuya.” Naoya stammered.

The boy named Kazuya patted Naoya on the back, perhaps a little harder than necessary, startling him.

“Come on, Naoya, aren’t you gonna introduce me to your new girlfriend?” Kazuya smirked.

“She’s just a friend.” Naoya mumbled. “Her name is Makoto Niijima.”

Naoya glanced over before addressing her.

“Niijima-san, this is my older brother Kazuya.” Naoya introduced.

“It’s good to meet you.” Makoto greeted.

“Likewise. So, what’s a nice girl like you doing hanging around this runt.” Kazuya joked, giving a small chuckle.

“I was practicing martial arts with him.” she explained. “He was teaching me more about kendo, and I was teaching him more aikido.”

“More kendo, huh?” Kazuya muttered. “Hey, Naoya…”

“It’s just a hobby.” Naoya quickly told him. “Nothing serious. Um… about your friends...”

“Huh?” Kazuya questioned. “Oh, right… those guys. We weren’t really that close. Don’t worry about it. Honestly… I didn’t think that they’d be stupid enough to steal from the restaurant.”

“Do you work at the restaurant too?” she asked.

“Nah, I’m a locksmith working for a security company.” Kazuya explained. “So, you know aikido?”

She nodded.

“Hahaha… well, try not to rough up my little bro too much.” Kazuya grinned. “See you around.”

As Kazuya walked off, Naoya let out a sigh.

“Sorry about that.” Naoya told her. “My brother likes to joke around a lot…”

“It’s alright.” she replied. “I had a lot of fun sparing. Hopefully we can do it again soon.”

“Yeah. Sounds good!” Naoya agreed.

**TEMPERANCE CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

After talking for a bit longer about martial arts, she headed home for the day.

* * *

**6/4 Monday**

**Days Until Investigation: 5**

After school had finished, she waited for everyone to gather near the school so that they could head to the palace.

“Alright, is everyone ready?”

Everyone nodded, not a single doubt in their minds.

“Then let’s go.” Makoto said.

She brought out her phone, bringing them back to the palace…

* * *

Once again, they found themselves in a small alley in the village.

“Ok, first thing’s first.” Makoto started. “We need to-”

“Ah! What the hell am I wearing?!”

She turned towards Ann, who was currently freaking out over her outfit.

Apparently, she hadn't even noticed it before, with how tense the situation was when she had first awakened to her Persona.

“Daaaamn…” Ryuji muttered.

Apparently, Ryuji had noticed it too.

“Calm down, Takamaki-san.” Ren urged. “These outfits we have are just representations of what we see as rebellious.”

“Then why am I wearing something like this!” Ann snapped.

Makoto placed a comforting hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “I understand how you feel. I… don’t really like my outfit either. It’s too… skintight.”

Ann let out a sigh.

“Shouldn’t we come up with a codename for Takamaki-san?” Fox asked.

“Good idea.” Queen nodded. “So, does anyone have any ideas?”

“How about Sexy Cat!” Ryuji grinned.

“How about Hell No!” Ann shouted.

“...Maybe Kitty?” Ren offered.

“I was hoping for something a bit more… ferocious.” Ann admitted.

“Cougar…” Morgana purred.

“Don’t call me that!” Ann yelled.

Makoto sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose over her teammate’s antics.

“Alright, Takamaki-san, do you have an idea on what you’d like your codename to be?” she asked.

Ann thought over for a minute or two before grinning.

“Panther.” Ann decided.

“Well, alright, then it’s settled.” Makoto nodded. “Was there anything else?”

“Hmm… now that I think about it, maybe we shouldn’t all charge in at once.” Mona suggested.

“What do you mean?” Ren asked.

“With six people at once, things can get a little chaotic.” Mona explained. “It’ll be harder to keep track of everyone and give them orders.”

“That’s true.” Yusuke nodded. “Perhaps we should have a smaller group on the front lines, while a second group follows behind.”

“That sounds reasonable.” she agreed. “And if things get too intense, we can swap members or gang up on a strong opponent.”

“So, uh, how big are the groups gonna be?” Ryuji asked.

“We’ll probably have four people in the main group, and two in reserve.” she reasoned. “As for who will be with me…”

She glanced at the other five, considering who to bring with her on the front line.

After thinking about it for a bit, she had her answer.

“Panther, Mona, Joker, you three are with me.” Queen ordered.

“Aw, come one! What about me?!” Skull protested.

“I’ll swap you in once one of us gets tired, Skull.” she promised.

Thankfully, that seemed to placate him.

“We should be careful…” Ren muttered, peaking out of the alley. “It looks like there are gladiators in the town.”

“Think they're looking for us?” Ann asked.

“Maybe, but they might also be just… Roman around.” Ren smirked.

Ann groaned, while Morgana shook his head. “Better get used to this, Panther.”

“Hmm… well, on the bright side, the citadel will be less defended.” Makoto replied.

“So, with their defenses spread that thin, we’ll just have to sneak around.” Mona said.

She nodded. “Alright everyone. To the citadel!”

The Thieves carefully made their way back to the citadel, avoiding any shadows along the way.

When they arrived, she pulled out their map, glancing over the area.

“Well, we’ve already looked in the colosseum and the main temple, and the treasure wasn't in either of those places.” Makoto recalled.

“Do you have any idea where the treasure is, Mona?” Ren asked.

Mona seemed to concentrate for a few moments before his ears began to twitch.

“I can sense it! The treasureeee!” Mona purred. “Come on, it's close!”

The group followed Mona to the northwestern part of the citadel.

“Hurry up, everyone!” Mona excitedly said. “It's right past… this door.”

In front of them stood a large, imposing door made of stone. At the center of the door was a head of a boar with its mouth open, though it lacked any eyes.

“So, umm… how do we open this thing?” Ren asked. “There's not really a handle…”

“Hold on, I’ve got an idea!” Ryuji grinned. “Queen, punch it!”

She did just that, slamming her fist into the door.

It had no effect.

“...Ok. I’m out of ideas.” Ryuji shrugged.

“There's a safe room nearby!” Mona called. “Let's go there and think about it.”

Seeing the wisdom of his plan, the rest of the group followed Mona to the safe room.

* * *

“Sooo… is punching things normally how you solve your problems?” Ann asked, eyebrow raised.

“We can come up with more complex plans… it's just that usually Queen’s Fist of Justice is enough.” Ren chuckled.

“You make it sound like I’m some kinda brute.” Makoto sighed, though the slight smile on her face meant that she was amused. “And did you really need to bring _that_ up again. I'm surprised you still remember that.”

“How could I forget such an amazing name for a move.” Ren smirked.

“Careful. More comments like that and I might ‘forget’ to heal you in the next battle.” Makoto joked.

Ann sat behind them, feeling a little awkward as the newest member.

Seeing the transfer student and the student council president trade friendly barbs with each other was not what she expected at all.

“Heh, relax, they're always like this.”

Ann turned to see Skull grinning at her.

“Those two love to tease each other, but they're really damn close. Queen’s real nice and caring, and Joker’s pretty chill… but they’ll both raise some hell if you hurt the other.”

“Wow… I’d hate to imagine what would happen if a shadow managed to really hurt one of them…” Ann muttered.

“Yeah…” Skull agreed. “And, hey, Panther?”

“What?”

“Listen, none of us blame you for what's been going on.” Skull told her. “Queen and I used to be on bad terms too, and Fox threatened to call the cops on us once. But we’re all friends now.”

“For real?” Ann gasped.

Ryuji nodded. “For real. I think if you just sat down and talked to everyone else, you’d hit it off with them!”

“Maybe…” Ann trailed off. “Well, why don't I start with you?!”

“Me?” Skull questioned.

Ann nodded. “Yeah! We haven't really talked for a while. I’d be nice to catch up. Say… over some sweets?”

“Sure this ain't just a ploy to get me to buy sweets for you?” Skull frowned.

“What?! No!” Ann denied. “I really do want to catch up… buuuuut since you mentioned it, it would be nice to have you pay back the money you owe me… with interest.”

“Hopefully not a dozen triple chocolate crepes worth of interest.” Ryuji muttered.

After taking a few moments to relax, they started brainstorming.

“Maybe there's a lever or something that opens the gate.” Morgana theorized.

“Or maybe another entrance?” Ren guessed.

“Aha!”

Everyone turned towards Yusuke, who had a satisfied grin on his face.

“The artistry on this door is quite stunning.” Fox smiled.

“Don't tell me that's all you gotta say.” Ryuji groaned.

“Of course not.” Yusuke replied. “I drew a sketch of the door. I find the boar in the middle to be rather suspicious.”

“What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“It has these indentations where the eyes should be.” Yusuke explained. “And there's also it's open mouth.”

“Good thing you've got such an eye for detail Fox.” Ren grinned. “So, you think we need to place something inside of those indentations?”

“Exactly.” Fox nodded.

“Ohohoho!”

An ominous laugh caught their attention. They rushed out of the room, seeing three shadows in front of them.

All three shadows had blonde hair and pale skin. They all were dressed from their neck to their ankles in one color. One dressed in white, one in red, and the last one in black.

They also carried a long piece of thread together, the one in black also carrying a pair of shears.

“Looking for these?” the red one smirked, holding out a golden orb.

The other two shadows did the same.

“We are the Moirae Sisters.” the sister in white explained.

“Our Lord Kobayakawa is fated for greatness.” the black dressed sister added. “We won't allow you to interfere!”

The three sisters ran off in different directions.

“After them!” Makoto shouted.

The group chased after the sisters, desperate to grab the orbs.

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 3

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 3

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.9%


	27. Citadel Chase

They continued to chase after the sisters as they headed south.

When the sisters began to split up, the group set their sights on the one dressed in white.

The shadow led them to the south, losing them before they could catch up.

“Where the hell did she go?” Ryuji snapped.

Their chase had led them to a garden villa.

Along the sides of the garden were patches of yellow flowers. Fruit trees and grapevines covered the walls.

To no one’s surprise, there were statues of Kobayakawa in each flower patch.

What was perhaps the most impressive feature, however, was a large fountain in the center. Much larger than them, in fact.

“It's breathtaking…” Ann muttered.

Panther and Fox started looking all around the garden, admiring it.

“Be careful, everyone.” Queen warned. “Shadows could be anywhere.”

“That one shadow seemed more interested in runnin’ away then fighting.” Skull grumbled.

“Hey, everyone, over here!” Joker called.

Hidden underneath some grapevines and tree branches stood a door.

“This looks like one of those Will Seed doors.” Makoto noted. “Well, I suppose we should check it out.”

They entered the room, Makoto picking up the Will Seed as the room shifted around them…

* * *

A much younger looking Kobayakawa appeared on a stage, nervously clearing his throat in front of a podium.

Makoto glanced around, seeing that they were in the middle of an auditorium filled with students.

“H-Hello. Is this thing on?” the principal asked, before wincing at the volume. “Erm, yes, umm… hello! As of today, I will be serving as your new principal here at Shujin Academy!”

She carefully paid attention to the principal’s demeanor. He seemed… different, that was for sure.

“Each and every one of you are here in pursuit, and I have made it my mission to bring out the hidden potential of each and every one of you.” The principal continued.

She noticed that the principal seemed to grow in confidence as the speech continued. It seemed more… genuine.

“The future of our nation is in your hands!” The principal declared. “And I will do everything I can to help you all to be the best that you can!”

His speech was met with a round of applause, the principal having a bright smile on his face as the room began to shift back to normal.

* * *

“What was that…?” Panther wondered.

“It was a glimpse into his past.” Makoto explained. “All of the Will Seeds so far have shown us these visions.”

“Huh… I guess he did look a bit younger there.” Ann noticed. “That must have been when he first became the principal.”

“He seemed a lot more passionate as well.” Makoto noted.

As they stepped out of the Will Seed room, she couldn’t help but wonder why he had changed.

“You don’t think that that shadow from before ran away while we were lookin’ at that Will Seed, do you?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, earlier we knew it was here, but we still weren’t able to find them.” Ren pointed out. “There must be somewhere we haven’t looked. Somewhere they could still be hiding.”

“But we must have gone over this entire garden already!” Mona argued.

While she thought about whether they should stay or leave, she spied Fox glancing at the fountain suspiciously. At the top of the fountain was a statue of the sister in white.

Fox carefully applied a bit of force to the statue’s arm, and to her surprise, it moved.

A loud rumbling boomed as soon as he did that, everyone holding on to something as it occurred.

“What the hell did you do?!” Panther exclaimed.

“I’m not sure!” Fox replied. “I simply thought that the arm didn’t look aligned properly.”

Finally, the rumbling stopped, as did the water running from the fountain.

As they all went to get a closer look, they saw that a hidden passage down had been revealed.

“I bet that's where that shadow ran off to.” Makoto assumed.

They climbed down the entrance in the statue, making their way down a ladder to a dimly lit passageway. They carefully made their way through, finding a small shrine at the end of the passage.

“Ohohoho! I’m surprised you managed to find this place!”

The sister in white appeared in front of them, laughing to herself.

“How considerate of you to meet me down here underground!” the sister in white exclaimed. “This shrine will serve as your graves!”

“Everyone, let’s go!” Makoto shouted, before gripping her mask. “Shiki-Ouji!”

The sister in white fired a storm of paper talismans at them.

“Watch out for those Hama spells!” Morgana warned. “One hit and you're down for the count!”

Makoto charged straight in while the others easily dodged the attack.

Shiki-Ouji allowed her to be unaffected by the Hama magic, allowing her to rush in.

“Double shot!” Makoto shouted.

Shiki-Ouji raised its arms, firing at the shadow.

The shadow cried out in pain, but quickly prepared another spell, surrounding Makoto with a blue circle for a moment before it disappeared.

 _Whatever that was, it didn’t hurt me,_ Makoto thought. _I’ll just have to have Shiki-Ouji use… use…_

She clutched her head in pain as she tried to remember how to command her Persona.

“That shadow’s made Queen super forgetful!” Morgana gasped, rushing over to heal her.

“Ohohoho!” the shadow laughed. “And just how do you plan to fight me when you can’t rememb-AHH!”

Queen punched the shadow in the face, sending it to the ground, Panther quickly shooting a fireball at it.

“Looks like you _can_ fight a little…” the shadow muttered. “I hope you don’t mind if I play with you a little longer!”

Joker took aim, but the shadow vanished before he could take the shot.

“The shadow ran away again…” Makoto grumbled as Morgana healed her.

“Looks like she dropped her orb, at least.” Joker pointed out, grabbing the yellow sphere off of the ground.

“That shadow didn’t seem to be all that powerful… more of a support type.” Morgana pointed out. “Hopefully those other two are the same.”

“We’ll have to find them first.” Makoto said. “Fox, can I have another look at the map?”

Fox nodded, handing it to her.

“The main temple was in the center, the coliseum in the east, the entrance to the west, the door to the northwest, and the gardens to the south.” she muttered aloud. “That… leaves the northeast, the southeast, and the southwest…”

“They were all running to the south, weren't they?” Fox recalled. “We should try looking near the garden.”

“Alright, let's go!” Ryuji encouraged. “Just gotta get those last two orbs!”

They left the garden, beginning their search for the other two sisters.

* * *

They decided to search the southeast first, and found themselves in front of a small building.

Unlike the rest of the citadel, however, the building gave a very dreary vibe. The building was entirely grey and showed signs of decay much like the buildings in the town.

As they approached the front doors, they could hear whispering from the other side.

“Quickly, bar the door!” a gladiator hissed. “I saw those intruders coming!”

“I hope that cat girl isn’t with them…” another gladiator muttered. “She was scary…”

“I’ll show them scary!” Panther snapped.

She sent a fireball at the door, blasting the door down, revealing several terrified looking gladiators on the other side.

“H-Haven't you heard of knocking?!” one of them exclaimed.

“Sure we have!” Ryuji grinned. “Once we’re done _knocking_ you out, we're going after those sisters and takin’ their orbs!”

They quickly dispatched the gladiators before taking the time to explore the building.

“Looks like there are some more stairs here!” Panther discovered. “They’re leading underground.”

As they climbed down the stairs, it became immediately apparent what the building was for.

“This… is a dungeon.” Makoto muttered.

Rats scurried along the floors, and a foul stench permeated through the air as they

walked the halls of the dimly lit dungeon.

They glanced around, looking inside of the dungeon cells, several of them having students inside of them.

“Shouldn’t we help them?” Ann asked.

“Remember, they’re just cognitions.” Morgana explained. “Once we steal the treasure, this entire palace, them included, will disappear.”

“Still… to keep them locked up like that…” Ann trailed off.

“The people in here… Kobayakawa probably views them as people that he can’t benefit from.”

Joker theorized.

“Benefit from?” Yusuke questioned.

“Well, the people outside this dungeon had to offer him tribute every day.” Ren reminded him. “Those people are probably the ones that he views as exploitable or easily manipulated.”

Ann balled her hands into fists. “Yeah. That sounds like him, alright.”

They continued making their way through the dungeon, dispatching every shadow that they came across. While individually, the shadows inside the dungeon weren't terribly strong, it did begin to wear on them after a while.

“Joker, switch with Skull.” Queen requested. “A lot of these shadows are weak to electricity.”

Ren nodded, swapping out for Ryuji.

“Alright, finally!” Ryuji grinned. “Now hopefully we’ll find those sisters soon!”

“I don’t know about those sisters, but I do sense a Will Seed nearby!” Morgana told them.

“Then we should grab that first.” Makoto said. “Lead the way, Mona.”

Morgana led the group to the door, which she quickly opened, taking the Will Seed inside.

* * *

This time, the seed brought them to what looked like a very fancy buffet.

Several important looking men and women sat at dining tables, conversing with one another.

She saw Kobayakawa, nervously walking around, a plate filled with food.

“Who’s that foul-looking man over there…”

“He can’t afford to eat here, can he…?”

“How low this place must have fallen, if this is their clientele now…”

Kobayakawa grimaced, muttering under his breath. “They’ll see. They’ll all see one day. One day, I’ll be standing far above them…”

One man sitting alone at his table got up and gestured the principal over.

Confused, Kobayakawa walked over to them. “Wait, you’re not S-”

“How arrogant are you?” the man scoffed. “Do you earnestly believe that my boss has the time to be meeting with someone like you? A lowly principal of a high school.”

Kobayakawa seemed to shrink under the man’s harsh words.

“Now what’s the problem you were talking about?” the man asked.

“It… It’s the school, sir.” the principal confessed. “It hasn’t been doing well as of late. It hasn't been generating any fame or publicity for myself or the students… I had hoped that our sports teams would help in that regard, but…”

“It sounds like you need better coaches.” the man scoffed. “Or maybe someone more recognizable to give the school some publicity.”

“Is there anything you can do to help me?” the principal pleaded. “I’ll do anything you ask!”

“Anything?” the other man repeated. “...Are you sure about that?”

“I understand the seriousness of what I’m saying.” Kobayakawa answered. “But I mean it. I’m… willing to do anything.”

“I see. We’ll hold you to that.” the man replied. “I… that is, my boss... does happen to know someone. A manager of a company that works with pro athletes. We might be able to work something out.”

“Y-Yes! Yes! That would be perfect!” Kobayakawa expressed. “Thank you, thank you!”

“Just remember… you’ll owe us quite a few favors for this…” the other man trailed off.

* * *

The vision cut off there, bringing them back to the Will Seed room.

“It looks like the principal has some friends in high places…” Ren muttered.

“I have to wonder what kind of favors that he owes to those people…” Makoto wondered.

“They were talking about a manager for pro athletes, right?” Ann asked. “You don’t think that the person he hired then was…?”

“It’s gotta be Kamoshida!” Ryuji exclaimed. “There’s no doubt in my mind!”

“I’m pretty curious as well.” Makoto admitted. “But for now, we should focus on those sisters.”

Everyone agreed, following her out of the room.

* * *

Thankfully, they didn’t have to go far for them to find something. Down the hallway from the Will Seed was another door.

Makoto carefully opened it… gasping at what was inside.

There were several students chained to the walls, groaning in pain.

They looked hungry, sick, and barely clinging to life.

“What the hell is this?!” Panther cried.

“This… is what happens when you go against our lord!”

The sister in red appeared before them, an arrogant smirk on her face.

“Ohohoho!” the shadow laughed. “You must have a death wish to continue to defy our lord!”

“We don’t plan on dyin’ here!” Skull exclaimed.

“It doesn’t matter what your plan is!” the sister in red argued. “Everyone who goes against our lord is fated for a short life! Your time is about to run out!”

The sister in red fired a chunk of ice at her, which she narrowly evaded.

“Try this!” Ann yelled, throwing a Agi spell.

The shadow quickly created a barrier that reflected the fireball right back at Ann, starting her and knocking her to the ground.

“Panther!” Skull cried. “Alright, you’re goin’ down!”

“Skull, wait!” Makoto called.

Skull rushed towards the shadow, wielding his weapon.

The shadow smirked, creating another barrier that sent Skull flying backwards as soon as he struck it with his weapon.

“What the hell?!” Skull snapped. “Why can’t we hit her?!”

“It’s those barriers.” Queen realized. “They’re reflecting our attacks back at us. One reflects physical attacks, the other magic!”

“So how are we going to get through them?” Mona asked.

The shadow forced them onto the defensive, all of them too cautious to risk striking again.

 _If she reflects it back at us, then I might have an idea,_ Makoto mused.

After Mona healed their wounds, Makoto turned towards the others. “Skull, Panther, when I give the signal, attack!”

“Shiki-Ouji!” Makoto called. “Double Shot!”

“Whatever you’re planning won’t work!” the shadow snapped, creating another barrier.

“Panther, gun! Skull, magic!”

The Double Shot hit the barrier, reflecting back, but dealing no damage to her thanks to Shiki-Ouji’s defenses.

Skull and Panther immediately went on the offensive, firing a Zio spell and several bullets.

Seeing both physical and magical attacks headed their way, the shadow hesitated long enough for both attacks to hit her, knocking her to the ground.

The shadow screamed as Makoto fired another Double Shot into her.

Before they could press their advantage, however, the shadow began to retreat.

“This doesn’t matter!” the shadow snapped. “My sister will deal with you shortly!”

The shadow dropped the orb they were carrying as they ran off.

“Tch… looks like the only thing they’re good at is runnin’ away.” Ryuji grumbled.

“Still, that’s two orbs now.” Ren brought up. “One more and we’re set.”

“I’ll be glad to finally leave this dungeon…” Ann muttered.

“So, where to next?” Ren asked.

“They’ll most likely be in the southwest.” Makoto figured. “Although, I’d rather not leave any stone unturned. We should check the northeast first.”

She didn’t think that any of the sisters would be in the northeast, but it didn’t hurt to check.

“Good point!” Morgana nodded. “Let’s get a move on then.”

* * *

Sure enough, they didn’t find any of the sisters were in the northeast. Instead, there was another shrine, although much smaller than Kobayakawa’s shrine.

They made their way inside, seeing an absurd number of grapes and jugs offered at the shrine.

Makoto immediately glanced at Ren.

“...I’m not going to make a grape pun.” Ren promised, knowing what she was about to ask. “I know that they just make everyone wine.”

“Thank you.” she expressed. “Wait a minute…”

She lightly smacked Joker’s arm when she saw the cheeky grin on his face.

“Oh! Over there! The last Will Seed door!” Morgana called.

Sure enough, underneath some other grapevines was another door.

“H-Hey come on, what's the *Hic* rush, yoose guys?”

They quickly got into fighting positions when they saw a gladiator approaching.

...Only to become very confused when they saw the gladiator stumbling around, a jug of wine in their hand.

“Is… that guard drunk?” Panther questioned.

“I think so…” Makoto answered.

“I-I’m not *Hic* drunk!” the shadow insisted. “I jusht h-had a… a couple of drinks… thash all. Say...youse want some?”

“We’re underage!” Queen shouted.

“Ahh, don't be sussh a p-party pooper…” the shadow mumbled.

“Urgh… enough of this!” Ann snapped “Agi!”

The fireball slammed into the gladiator, knocking it to the ground.

“Huh.” Mona shrugged. “That was easier than I thought it would b-”

“Hahahaha!”

The gladiator stood up before dissolving into black ooze.

It quickly reformed into a tall, garland-wearing man whose body was a variety of different bright colors. He also carried a staff.

“Thasshs how yoush *HIC* wanna play, huh?” the shadow laughed. “Then let's play!”

The shadow immediately blasted them all with thunder, dealing immense damage to them.

The shadow rushed towards Mona, who was busy trying to heal, but was intercepted by Ryuji.

Ryuji swung his weapon again and again, but the shadow dodged with wild movements.

“Eligor!” Makoto called. “Double Fangs!”

The combined power of her and Ryuji’s Persona was enough to put the shadow on the defense, striking multiple blows against them.

It didn’t last for long, however, as the shadow stumbled back and blasted them with lightning again.

“You’ll hafta *HIC* try h-harderrrr!” the shadow taunted.

 _We can’t beat it in a straight fight,_ Makoto mused. _But maybe…_

“Panther, can you confuse it?” she asked.

“On it!” Ann acknowledged.

Ann sent out a Tentarafoo spell, causing yellow trails of light to enter the shadow’s head.

“W-Wha… where *HIC* the hell am I?” the shadow mumbled. “W-Why are there t-two of all of yoush…?”

“Mona, blow them away!” Makoto ordered.

Morgana let loose a wild Garu spell, making the already confused shadow’s head spin.

“Oooh… this is one nasty hangover…” the shadow muttered as they fell to the ground.

“Now, let’s finish them off!” Makoto shouted.

They struck the downed shadow with an All-Out Attack, causing it to dissolve into black ooze.

“Phew… thank goodness that's over. It looks like he ran out of juice.” Makoto said, eyes widening at what she just said. “Wait…”

“I knew you secretly liked puns!” Joker grinned.

“N-No, that’s not it at all!” she insisted, before shaking her head. “Never mind. Let’s just grab the last Will Seed.”

They went inside and wasted no time in taking the last Will Seed.

* * *

She saw Kobayakawa in his office, clutching his head.

“This can’t be happening…” Kobayakawa muttered. “What do I do?”

A knock at his door startled him. “C-Come in!”

Kamoshida walked into the room, a serious expression on his face.

“You wanted to see me?” Kamoshida asked.

“Mr. Kamoshida... there have been some… very unsavory rumors spreading around.” the principal muttered. “Rumors… about how you’ve been treating the athletes. Physically abusing the boys. And the girls… you…”

“Relax.” Kamoshida told him. “None of those kids want to be the one to hurt the school’s reputation. To ruin things for the sports teams and everyone else.”

“You… you’re not denying it.” Kobayakawa whispered. “If the police get involved…”

“They won’t get involved.” Kamoshida insisted. “And if they do, you’re going to tell them that there’s nothing going on around here.”

“B-But-”

“The reason why this school has the reputation that it does is because of me.” Kamoshida claimed. “If I go down, we all go down.”

The principal grimaced, before glancing at a cabinet next to his desk.

It was filled with numerous trophies, awards, and other types of honors, many of them having to do with the sports teams.

“Y-Yes… you’re right.” the principal confessed. “But what can I do…?”

“The rest of the staff will listen to you.” Kamoshida told him. “Just tell them not to speak about it.”

“I… yes, of course.” the principal nodded. “I’ll do just that. That… will be all. You’re dismissed.”

Kamoshida left the office, leaving Kobayakawa by himself.

Slowly, the principal picked up.

“I could end this right now…” he muttered. “I could call the police…”

He shook his head. “No… he’s right. I can’t let a controversy like this happen. I’m in far too deep. I owe too many favors to important people.”

He put the phone down.

“I… I can’t give in now.” the principal stated. “I’ve given up far too much to fail now! I… I am destined for greatness. I… I can’t let the school’s reputation… my reputation… fall.”

A small grin crossed his face.

“Yes… _my reputation…_!” the principal exclaimed. “I can’t… let anyone stand in my way!”

* * *

When the vision ended, it took a moment for Makoto to realize that her fists were clenched.

Ryuji and Ann’s faces were twisted into scowls, and even Ren’s normal easygoing smile had been replaced with a glare.

“What a truly detestable coward…” Yusuke muttered, breaking the silence.

“Got one little taste of fame, and he let it consume him.” Morgana scoffed.

“...I suppose that’s all there is to it.” Makoto whispered. “There’s no doubt in my mind that his heart needs to be changed.”

“Then what the hell are we waitin’ for?” Ryuji asked. “Let’s get that last orb!”

“Hold on.” Makoto said. “Fox, Joker, are you two able to take over for Mona and Skull?”

“What?!” Ryuji snapped. “Why are you replacing me?!”

“We have no idea what’s coming up ahead.” Makoto explained. “I want the people on the front lines to be in the best condition possible.”

“I’m fine with joining the front lines, but what about Panther?” Yusuke asked.

“...I’m not backing down now.” Panther stated. “I… will never forgive Kobayakawa!”

Everyone glanced at Ann, and the determined expression on her face.

“I guess if anyone deserves a shot at that bastard, it’s you.” Skull acknowledged.

“Let’s go to the southwest, then.” Queen ordered.

* * *

After making their way to the southwesternmost part of the citadel, they came upon what looked to be an entrance to a theater built onto a hill.

“We’ve looked everywhere else.” Yusuke mentioned. “So the last sister must be in here.”

They walked into a circular stage on a cliff that overlooked the town, a chorus of cheers sounding as they did.

Up in the stands, there were tons of shadows shouting from the audience, sitting on stone steps built into the hillside.

“Ohohoho! It seems you've drawn quite the crowd!”

The sister in black appeared before them.

“They're all quite eager to witness your death!” the sister in black cried.

“What makes you think you can take us?!” Ren exclaimed. “We’ve already taken care of your sisters!”

The sister in black simply laughed, as her younger sisters suddenly appeared at her sides.

“Let's see how well you do against all three of us.” The sister in white said.

Don't underestimate us!” the sister in red warned. “Our master put us in charge of eliminating you Thieves!”

“Our master is fated to stand above everyone else!” the sister in black declared. “But as for you… we shall…”

The three sisters got into fighting positions.

“Spin!”

“Measure!”

“And snip your fate!”

The three sisters immediately went on the offensive. The sister in red cast a Tarukaja spell on the sister in black, who proceeded to blast them all with fireballs.

The blast did intense damage to all of them except for Panther, who managed to resist the attack.

Panther pulled out her gun, managing to hit all three sisters with a few stray bullets.

The sister in white began to cast a Media spell on her and her sisters.

“The one in white is the healer!” Makoto called. “Take her out first!”

Fox rushed ahead with his sword, but not before the sister in red created a barrier in front of her sister, reflecting Fox’s strike and knocking him to the ground.

The sister in black forced them onto the defensive, assaulting them with chunks of ice.

“What do we do, Queen?” Joker asked. “They’re pretty good at covering each other’s weaknesses.”

 _Their teamwork is incredible,_ Makoto mused. _Our teamwork will have to be even better if we hope to defeat them._

“I have a plan.” Makoto answered. “Fox, with me! Joker, time for ailments!”

“Got it!” Joker called. “Stagnant Air!”

Arséne released a black mist throughout the entire stage, increasing everyone’s susceptibility to ailments.

“Fox, speed me up!” Queen ordered.

Fox nodded, casting a Sukukaja spell on her.

She rushed towards the sister in white with her fist raised, Yusuke a bit behind her.

“You really think that’ll work?!” the sister in red taunted.

Seeing that she was preparing a physical barrier, Queen quickly changed course.

“Fox, use magic on the healer!” she cried.

The sister in red was shocked at her feint, unable to create another barrier in time to shield herself.

“Eligor!” she called. “Memory Blow!”

Her persona slammed its weapon into the sister in red’s head, dealing major damage.

Meanwhile, Yusuke fired a chunk of ice at the sister in white, knocking her to the ground.

“How dare you!” the sister in black snapped, flinging fireballs at both Fox and Queen.

“Intercept!” Queen ordered.

Joker and Panther rushed into action, firing an Eiha and Agi spell to intercept the fireballs, causing an explosion in the process.

The sisters in black and red jumped back to create some distance, but when the smoke cleared, they were surprised to see Fox finishing off the sister in white with another ice spell, dissolving her into ooze.

“Sister!” the sister in black exclaimed, before turning to her other sister. “Quick, form another barrier!”

“B-Barrier?” the sister in red stammered.

Queen smirked, seeing that her Memory Blow had worked.

“Yes, a barrier!” the sister in black snapped. “Hurry up!”

“B-But I can’t remember how t-AHH!”

Joker fired an Eiha spell into the sister of red, causing her to cry out in pain before dissolving into black ooze.

“Ha! You three talked a lot about fate, but I bet you didn't see this coming!” Ren taunted.

“Y-You…!” the sister in black scowled. “You will die here! I have decided! It is fa-”

“Ooooh, I am sooo sick of all of your stupid games and talk about fate!” Panther snapped. “Just screw off already!”

Ann fired a Agi spell at the sister in black, causing her to fall to the ground screaming in pain.

“Now’s our chance, everyone!” she called. “Attack!”

Everyone fired their strongest spells, downing the final sister for good.

Makoto walked up to where the sister had been and picked up the last orb as it fell to the ground.

“Good work, everyone.” Makoto beamed. “We earned this victory together.”

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji cheered. “That’s all three of the orbs!”

“We should be able to open that door now.” Morgana recalled.

“Then let’s get moving.” Makoto called.

They left the theater, making their way back to the door with the boar’s head.

They placed the orbs in the boar’s eye sockets and its mouth.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Before any of them could comment, however, they heard a soft rumbling sound.

Slowly, the door began to open, revealing the path to the treasure.

“Everyone, be careful.” Queen cautioned. “Kobayakawa could be up ahead.”

She led the group down a narrow hallway, hoping that there weren't any more shadows to ambush them.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hallway, and found a secret shrine.

There were several large statues in the shrine, but curiously, none of them were of the principal himself.

The statues were of a bunch of men in suits, the tallest statue depicting a bald man with a goatee and glasses.

She saw Ren approach the statue, a frown on his face.

“Is something wrong, Joker?” she asked.

Ren paused for a second, before shaking his head. “I just… got a strange feeling looking at this statue. It’s probably nothing, though.”

“Hey guys, look what I found!” Panther called.

Panther directed them to a very modern looking desk in the back of the room that stood out from the rest of the architecture.

It's right in there!” Morgana exclaimed. “The treasure is right in that desk!”

“Alright, I’ll open it up.” Makoto offered.

However, when she tried to open the drawers, she found that every single one of them was locked.

She tried to forcefully open the desk, even trying to break it open, but nothing worked.

“I can’t open it.” she muttered. “And for whatever reason, this desk is indestructible.” Makoto frowned.

“Seriously, how many effin’ locked things are in this place?!” Ryuji complained.

“Effin’?” Ann repeated.

“W-What? Is there a problem?” Ryuji mumbled.

“Nah, I was just surprised that that's where you draw the line.” Ann grinned. “It's kinda cute, actually.”

“P-Panther, I’m cute too!” Mona insisted.

“Focus, people!” Makoto ordered. “We need to find some way to open this desk.”

“Hmm… it seems a little out of place with everything else in the Palace aesthetically.” Yusuke observed.

Makoto nodded. “Now that you mention it, it does look odd. Actually, this desk… looks somewhat familiar.”

“Oh! I remember!” Panther exclaimed. “It looks just like the desk in the principal's office.”

“You’re right!” Makoto realized. “In fact, I think that it's the exact same desk!”

“For real?” Ryuji asked. “So what's it doing here?”

“I wonder if it's like Madarame's Palace?” Ren wondered. “We had to open a door to get past his security system.”

“It looks like we’ll have to sneak into his office and check out that desk ourselves!” Mona declared.

“Looks like we can take out two birds with one stone.” Ren realized. “We need to deliver the calling card too, so we open up his desk in the real world and leave the calling card. He’ll see that his desk is open and see the calling card, which will make the treasure materialize!”

“But how are we going to sneak in?” Panther asked. “It’ll be hard to get into the principal's office during school hours, and even if we did, Fox goes to a different school.”

“That’s why we’ll enter a few hours before school starts.” Makoto informed them. “It’s not unusual for council members to arrive at school a few hours early. I’ll sneak into the principal's office and open the drawers to his desk. If anything is locked, I’ll have Morgana pick the lock.”

“Then all we have to do is wait near the treasure until that giant egg sees his calling card!” Mona smirked.

“Hey, that’s a pretty great plan!” Ann grinned. “I think it could work!”

“I’ll get started on the calling card right away, then.” Yusuke promised.

“Alright, so let’s end the infiltration for now.” Queen ordered. “The next time we come here… we’re stealing his heart.”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 3

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 3

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 3

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? Yes 15.9%


	28. Double Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, updates will no longer be weekly, but bi-weekly instead.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, commenting, and other support you've given me!

They left the Metaverse, returning to the alley near the school.

“Good work, everyone.” Makoto nodded. “We’ll meet up again in a few days so we can finish the operation.”

“Let me know when that is.” Ann told her. “Ryuji and I are gonna have some crepes!”

“Man… do I really have to pay for all of this…” Ryuji muttered.

“It's the gentlemanly thing to do, Ryuji.” Mona lectured.

“Yeah, be a gentleman, not a creepe!” Ren joked.

“... Becky still ain't gonna believe you’re a dad just cause you tell dad jokes.” Ryuji deadpanned.

“C-Come on, why do you have to bring that up?!” Ren stammered.

“Who’s Becky?” Makoto asked.

“N-Never mind.” Ren mumbled.

“Crepes do sound nice right now.” Yusuke smiled. “Perhaps you could grab some for me as well.”

“Do I look like I’m made of money?!” Ryuji snapped.

“Come oooon, Ryuji!” Ann grinned. “Going through that Palace made me really hungry.”

“W-What about me, Lad-err… Ann?!” Morgana exclaimed. “W-We could have some sushi together. Or maybe we could take a walk through the park sometime.”

“Aww, that sounds sweet!” Ann beamed.

Morgana gave a huge grin.

“Say, Makoto, do you take him for walks in the park like other pet owners do?” Ann asked.

Morgana gave a huge frown, drooping his head as Ryuji started snickering.

The group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, leaving her alone with a dejected Morgana.

“I… I’ve been petzoned!” Morgana cried.

“There, there.” Makoto comforted, picking up and holding Morgana close. “Do you still want to go to the park?”

“...Yeah.” Morgana mumbled.

“Alright, let’s go.” she smiled.

* * *

They made their way to a small park in Shibuya. There weren't many people around, but she didn’t mind the quiet. It allowed her to collect her thoughts while she took Morgana for a walk.

The only other person that she saw in the park was a man feeding a dog while sitting on a bench.

The man wore a tattered coat and jeans, and had a grey beard and messy grey hair.

The dog, on the other hand, looked absolutely horrible. It looked weak and hungry, its visible ribs showing how starved it was.

She walked over, a concerned look on her face.

“Is that… your dog?” she asked.

The man turned to look at her, a sad expression on his face.

“...No. Just a stray. Follows me around sometimes.” the man answered. “Poor thing has nowhere to go. Kinda like me...”

“O-Oh.” she stammered. “T-Then you’re…”

“I’m homeless, yeah.” the man admitted. “There are a lot of us around here…”

“Oh…”

“You a college student?” the man asked.

“High School.” she answered. “I plan to go to college after I graduate.”

“That’s good.” the man nodded. “You wouldn’t want to screw up your future.”

The man rose from the bench he was sitting on.

“It was nice meeting you.” the man said. “Study hard, kid.”

As he left, she noticed a bracelet falling out of his pocket.

She moved to grab the bracelet to hand it to him, but she saw him turn and reach for the bracelet with surprising speed, considering his age.

They both grabbed the bracelet at the same time, the man glancing at her for a few tense moments before his expression softened.

“Oh? Were you about to hand that back to me?” the man asked.

“Yes sir.” she nodded. “I saw that it fell out of your pocket.”

“Ah, I see. Sorry if I scared you.” the man apologized. “I'm just a little jumpy these days, that’s all.”

“Oh, it’s no problem.” she insisted. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise.” the man smiled. “Have a good day, kid.”

The man walked away after saying goodbye, leaving her and Morgana alone.

“Wow, that guy had some really fast reflexes for an old man.” Morgana commented.

“He did.” she nodded. “It caught me off guard.”

“Well, whatever.” Morgana shrugged. “I’m going to go for a walk.”

They stayed at the park for a little while longer before heading home.

* * *

**6/5 Tuesday**

**Days Until Investigation: 4**

As soon as she arrived at school, one of the teachers immediately approached her.

“Oh, Niijima-san! There you are!”

“Ms. Kawakami? Did you need something?” Makoto asked.

“We need you to be a chaperone.” Kawakami explained.

“Chaperone?” Makoto repeated. “Chaperone for what?”

“Did they not tell you?” Kawakami asked. “Well… I suppose it’s on pretty short notice. The second years are having a class trip to Hawaii in a few days.”

“A class trip?” she asked. “I haven’t even heard about this.”

“Like I said, it was on very short notice.” Kawakami muttered. “It was going to happen later, but they decided to bump up the date.”

“I’m surprised the principal planned a field trip now all of a sudden.” Makoto brought up.

Kawakami glanced around, as if wanting to make sure no one was listening in on them.

“Listen, you didn’t hear this from me, but… well, I’m sure you heard the rumors about gang members, right?” Kawakami asked.

She nodded.

“Well, it’s been getting very serious. Enough so that there are police coming to question some of the staff about it and… other things that have come up this year.” Kawakami continued.

“I see. So you’re short on staff, so you’re asking people to join?” Makoto wondered.

“Just the third years.” Kawakami clarified. “I know that you must be really busy practicing for your entrance exams, but we’d really appreciate this, and it would lo-”

“Look good to colleges. I know.” Makoto said. “I think I’ll be able to do it, but I’d have to ask my guardian.”

“Oh, yeah, right!” Kawakami nodded. “Well, let me know your answer by tomorrow, then.”

“I will.”

“Good. It’ll be happy to have some help dealing with the second years.” Kawakami sighed. “I don’t know how you do it, but you somehow manage to keep Sakamoto-kun and Amamiya-kun under control. I don’t know if I’d be able to clean up their messes myself.”

“You sound like their maid.” Makoto joked.

Kawakami paled. “M-M-Maid?”

Makoto tilted her head in confusion. “I was just joking. Is something wrong, Ms. Kawakami?”

“N-No, of course not.” Kawakami stammered. “I-I need to go.”

Kawakami rushed away, leaving her alone.

 _That… was odd,_ Makoto thought.

She shook her head, heading to class.

* * *

After class ended for the day, she made her way to the student council room, news of the field trip on her mind.

“All right, now that everyone’s here, we can start.” Makoto began. “Have all of you heard of the field trip that’s happening?”

“Oh yeah!” Kayo exclaimed. “Our teacher was telling us about it! I can’t wait to go to Hawaii!”

“It’s on pretty short notice, though, isn’t it?” Daichi pointed out.

“One of the teachers told me it might be because the police are going to be investigating the staff about everything that’s happened this year.” Makoto explained. “I suppose… it would be good if lots of students are away while the whole gang problem gets sorted out.”

“If only it wasn’t so disorganized!” Chiaki scoffed. “It’s happening in a few days, and most of us only found out today. There doesn’t really seem to be a plan for what to do when they get there.”

“U-Um… if most of t-the staff is getting q-questioned… t-then who’s going with the students?” Akemi asked.

“Some of the teachers will be going too.” Makoto informed him. “And some third years will be coming as chaperones.”

“Oh, are you coming too, Niijima-san?” Kayo asked.

“They asked me too.” Makoto nodded. “I’ll probably be able to come too.”

“Great!” Kayo chirped. “I’ve never been out of the country before, so this’ll be super fun!”

“Just try to keep an eye on the other students. The teachers will be looking for any help they can get.” Chiaki told them. “There are a bunch of troublemakers among the second years.”

“I’ll be sure to help out when I can.” Makoto promised.

“Getting back to the police situation…” Daichi trailed off. “A lot of students heard rumors of it happening, so they’re feeling very concerned. Is there anything that we can say to them?”

“I think… that if the police start interrogating the students… then we should encourage them to tell them the truth.” Makoto answered. “The truth about what happened back in April, and what’s happening now.”

Chiaki nodded. “The principal probably won’t like it, but it’s for the best.”

“C-Can we r-really go against the p-principal’s orders?” Akemi gulped.

“Our duty, first and foremost, is to represent the student body.” Makoto stated. “We can’t let their voices be silenced.”

“Then we’ll do everything we can to help out the students that come to us.” Daichi promised.

Makoto nodded. “Good. Now then, let’s work out some more of the details…”

* * *

After finishing their discussion, the council meeting ended, herself, Daichi, and Chiaki staying behind.

“Will you two be chaperoning too?” Makoto asked.

“Nah, Akemi and Kayo are second years, so they’ll be coming along.” Daichi explained. “Can’t have the entire council going.”

“Besides, I can’t go on a big field trip right now.” Chiaki said. “I need to take care of my little siblings.”

“Oh? You have younger siblings?” Makoto asked.

“...Yeah.” Chiaki mumbled. “Three of them. All a bit younger than me. Anyways, I hope you won’t spend all day lounging on the beach. We have a situation.”

“I know.” Makoto acknowledged. “I’ll try to ask about the gangs while I’m in Hawaii.”

“Good.” Chiaki said.

“Don’t worry, Prez.” Daichi grinned. “Yasui-san and I will hold down the fort while the rest of you are gone.”

“We’ll ask the students still here about those gang members, while you can focus on the ones in Hawaii.” Chiaki told her.

“Thank you, Ando-kun, Yasui-san.” she expressed.

“I’m placing my trust in you, alright?” Chiaki said, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. “Don’t disappoint me.”

“Same to you.” Makoto replied, smiling back.

Chiaki… and the rest of the council were counting on her. She couldn’t let them down.

**TOWER CONFIDANT: RANK 4**

Chiaki left, leaving her alone with Daichi, who cleared his throat before speaking again.

“...Actually, there was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about, now that we’re alone.” Daichi said, his expression growing serious. “Let’s go back to the council room.”

She followed him back inside, curious as to what he had to say.

“What is it, Ando-kun?” she asked. “You sounded quite serious.”

“You remember the bake sale, right?” Daichi asked.

She nodded.

“Well, earlier, I was checking the money we made from it… and I found out that someone stole the money we made.”

“What?!” she gasped. “Someone stole the money we raised?!”

“Most of it, anyway. They left a little bit, oddly enough.” Daichi answered.

“Do you have any idea who could have done this?” Makoto asked.

“Well, we locked up the money in a cabinet inside of here.” Daichi told her. “And the only people who have a key to that cabinet are some members of the staff… and members of the student council.”

“Then… do you think…?” Makoto trailed off.

“I don’t know.” Daichi shook his head. “But… we’ll have to keep an eye out from now on. I hate to add more to your plate, Prez, but…”

“It’s fine.” she insisted. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

They discussed the issue for a bit longer before she went home.

* * *

“...Sis?”

The two sisters sat at the dinner table, eating the dinner that Makoto had prepared.

“What is it, Makoto?” Sae asked.

“There’s a field trip to Hawaii for the second years.” Makoto told her. “But they're a little short on staff, so they needed a few third years like myself to chaperone.”

“That’s good.” Sae nodded. “The school will owe you. It’ll look good to colleges.”

“...Yeah.” Makoto muttered.

“Something wrong?” Sae asked.

“It’s nothing…” Makoto whispered.

There it was again. As if the only thing that mattered was building a reputation and getting into a good college.

“How’s work, Sis?” Makoto asked, wanting to change the subject.

“I was actually going to talk to you about that.” Sae told her. “Have you heard that the police are coming to your school.”

She nodded. “I did. Wait… are you investigating that gang in Shibuya?!”

“That’s right.” Sae nodded. “I’ve been interrogating one of your fellow classmates that was caught transporting drugs. Now that we know that gangs are targeting your school, the police are getting involved.”

“I see… I didn’t think that you were involved.” Makoto admitted.

“Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one involved.” Sae grumbled. “The police have been dragging their feet this whole investigation.”

“Really? They have?” she inquired.

“Never mind.” Sae shook her head. “Just let me handle it, all right? And be careful. Don’t spend time around anyone suspicious.”

“Yes, sis…”

She finished her dinner, studying for a bit before going to bed.

* * *

**6/6 Wednesday**

**Days Until Investigation: 3**

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Makoto did her best to calm herself down as she walked to the date spot with Ren.

She didn’t think she’d be this nervous. It couldn’t be… that Ren was having this effect on her, right?

“You ok?”

She nearly squeaked as Ren startled her out of her thoughts.

“I suppose I’m just really nervous.” she admitted. “I might just be overreacting… he could be a decent person.”

Ren nodded. “Let’s try to go into this with an open mind.”

Makoto bit her lip, debating with herself on whether she should tell him what was on her mind.

“...Something’s bothering you.” Ren realized. 

“Oh… you noticed.” she whispered. “It’s just… well, recently, the principal called my sister and told her about how I was spending time with you and ‘other delinquents’.”

“Oh.” Ren simply said, frowning. “She probably didn’t take that too well, huh?”

“I tried to stick up for you, but she wouldn’t listen.” Makoto sighed. “I know that she just wants what’s best for me, but I wish she’d at least give you a chance.”

“...That’s why you agreed to the double date.” Ren realized.

Makoto nodded, a sad smile on her face. “I’m worried about Eiko, but I don’t want to dismiss her feelings. Her boyfriend could be a great guy, so I want to give him a chance.”

“Yeah, maybe instead of a punk, he’s a really cool and debonair guy.” Ren smirked.

Makoto let out a giggle. “Or maybe he’s a bit of a dork who tells too many bad puns.”

“Hey now, at least this dork has a ‘date’.” Ren joked. “...Oh man, what would your sis’ reaction be? If she saw us on our little ‘date’.”

“R-Ren, stop.” she stammered, trying not to burst into laughter.

They continued joking around with each other until they reached their destination.

“Okay… so, here we are.” Makoto muttered.

“Yeah…” Ren whispered.

“So…”

“Um…”

“I guess…

“We should go in?”

“Yeah.”

They stepped inside of the diner, Eiko immediately spotting them and loudly gesturing them over.

Both of them nervously sat down at the table.

“Makoto! Renny!” Eiko beamed. “Tsukasa, these are the two I told you about!”

“Yo! My name’s Tsukasa!” the man greeted. “Eiko’s told me all about you two.”

She took a moment to take in his appearance. He wore a white suit with blue roses and a red dress shirt underneath. He had brown hair and eyes, and an easygoing expression on his face.

“So, the two of you are going steady too?” Tsukasa asked.

“Y-Yeah.” Makoto stammered, blushing a little.

Ren just nodded, his face also red.

“So, I hear that you’re the student council prez, eh Makoto-chan?” Tsukasa asked.

 _Makoto-chan? That’s a little too familiar,_ Makoto thought.

“I bet I’d be pretty cool to be one of your council members.” Tsukasa continued.

“Y-Yeah…” Makoto stammered.

“Are you coming to the field trip, Miss Prez?” Eiko asked.

“I am. I had to ask my sister for permission, but she said yes.” Makoto answered.

“Why your sister?” Eiko wondered.

“My sister… is also my guardian.” Makoto explained.

“Oh, I see.” Eiko nodded. “I asked because I was coming too.”

“Really?” Makoto asked, surprised. “They asked you to chaperone?”

“Weeeelll… I may have told the staff that I was good friends with you, and had your approval!” Eiko giggled.

“E-Eiko!” she stammered.

“Hehehe…” Eiko nervously giggled. “To be honest… I was a little nervous about all these gangs that everyone’s talking about. I even heard that the police are coming. I figure that it’ll be nice to unwind for a bit, you know?”

“Aw, babe, you know I’d never let any of those punks lay a finger on you, yeah?” Tsukasa promised, wrapping an arm around her.

“Aww, Tsukasa!” Eiko beamed. “You’re so sweet!”

“There’s no need to worry Eiko.” Makoto assured her. “I’m sure that the police well handle it. My sister is actually handling the case as a prosecutor.”

To her surprise, Tsukasa seemed to take interest in that. “Your sister’s a prosecutor going after gang members? That’s pretty cool! What’s her name?”

“Why do you ask?” Makoto wondered.

“Oh… um, I have, uh... a friend who’s in law enforcement.” Tsukasa excused. “Maybe he knows her.”

“...Sae Niijima.” she answered, not wanting to appear overly hostile.

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Eiko said. “Anyway, let’s stop talking about that heavy stuff. Let’s talk about other things… like your boyfriend.”

“E-Eiko…” Makoto stammered.

“With how much you were crushin’ on him earlier, I’m surprised you can keep your hands off of him!” Eiko laughed.

“I-I was not!” Makoto squeaked.

“Seriously, it’s like your love level is rock bottom.” Tsukasa commented. “Are you two seriously datin’?”

She nervously shifted in her seat. She couldn’t have Eiko or Tsukasa finding out.

“W-We just started out.” Ren quickly said. “This is our first date, actually.”

“Y-Yeah!” Makoto nodded. “We’re just a little nervous, is all.”

Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy them. Still, it would be bad if they kept getting suspicious.

“Ren…” she whispered. “We should…”

“Copy them?”

“Yes. But be subtle.”

Ren slowly raised his hand up to his mouth, letting out a yawn…

Before carefully reaching his arm around her.

 _That wasn’t subtle at all!,_ she thought.

As he wrapped his arm around her and brought her a little closer, she could feel her face heating up.

Judging from Eiko’s giggles, her face probably resembled a tomato at this point.

And now it felt like something was churning in her stomach.

What on Earth was going on with her?

“Hey, Babe, did you do something special today?” Tsukasa asked, turning to Eiko. “You look real sexy today!”

“Oooooh, Tsukasa.” Eiko swooned.

Makoto could still feel her face heating up. It couldn’t just be nerves, could it?

As Eiko left for the bathroom, she tried to calm down and focus on the mission.

“Tsukasa-san, I have to ask… how serious is your relationship with Eiko?” Makoto asked.

“Ah! There it is! I was wondering when you’d show your true colors!” Tsukasa grinned. “Eiko did say you were excited to meet me. What, you don’t have a crush on me too, do ya?”

“W-What?! No!” she snapped. “I was just worried about Eiko.”

“Makin’ sure I’m a good guy then?” Tsukasa asked. “Daaaamn girl, you really care about your friends. That’s cool. Anyway, a friend of my GF is a friend of mine.”

“GF?” Makoto wondered.

“Girlfriend.” Ren informed her.

“So, why don’t we keep in touch?” Tsukasa asked. “What’s your digits?”

“Digits?” Makoto asked. “You mean my cell phone number? I don’t know…”

“What’s wrong? Why not give me your digits?” Tsukasa asked.

“I, um….”

“Why not take my number?” Ren quickly interjected.

“I, uh… don’t keep any guy’s numbers.” Tsukasa deadpanned, before turning to Makoto. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Eiko already gave me your number, Mako-chan.”

“...Mako-chan?” Ren muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing.

This guy was definitely making her a bit uncomfortable…

“You’re not going to bring Eiko into your club, are you?” Makoto asked.

“What, you’re suspecting me?” Tsukasa replied. “I wouldn’t dream of doin’ that.”

“Oh? Is something wrong?” Eiko asked.

“Nah, it’s nothing.” Tsukasa insisted. “Was just talkin’ with your friend here. But I need to get to work soon.”

“Alright, see you!” Eiko chirped.

As Tsukasa left, Eiko pulled Makoto aside.

“I’m soooo glad we decided to do this!” Eiko beamed. “I had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah… me too.” Makoto mumbled.

Eiko seemed very happy...

**FAITH CONFIDANT: RANK 4**

“Say… let’s get you a nice swimsuit for the trip, ok?” Eiko grinned. “Something that’ll get Glasses-kun’s head turning.”

“D-Don’t say things like that!” Makoto insisted.

Eiko laughed, the two of them talking for a bit longer before she left, leaving her with Ren.

“I’m still a little worried…” Makoto admitted. “Still, I don’t have proof, and Eiko seems happy…”

“Although that Tsukasa seemed a bit… overly friendly.” Ren grumbled.

“Yeah… my suspicions about him are just a hunch, but my father always told me to trust my hunches.” Makoto responded.

She felt her phone vibrating, and saw that Tsukasa had texted her.

“It’s meeee, Tsukasa. *heart emoji*” Makoto began. “I no we just met but I cudn’t wait 2 *phone emoji* u. I’m so haP to b friends with u MakoC. *clapping emoji* *clapping emoji* *hot springs emoji*”

She turned towards Ren. “Did you understand any of that?”

“It was barely a coherent sentence.” Ren joked.

She nodded. “Thanks for helping me with this, Ren. I probably would have panicked if I did this on my own. I wish… I wasn’t so immature when it came to this sort of thing.”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Ren comforted. “I’m not really used to this either.”

“I’m sorry, but… I might need to ask you to be my boyfriend for a little while longer...” Makoto trailed off.

“Heh… well, it’s the role I was born to play.” Ren grinned.

“Wha...?! Stop teasing me!” she stammered.

Ren let out a nervous chuckle, as her face flushed red again, and her stomach started fluttering again.

Why on Earth was she getting so nervous now…?

Come to think of it… this wouldn’t be the first time that this had happened.

There had been several times when she was near Ren when her face suddenly flushed, her stomach felt like there were butterflies in it, and sometimes, it felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

And again, it all happened around Ren.

Her eyes widened.

There was… only one explanation.

“Hey, Makoto, is everything ok?” Ren asked.

“R-Ren, I…” she stammered. “I… I think I…”

“You think what?”

“I… think I’ve f-fallen…”

“F-F-Fallen… for someone?!” Ren stammered.

“...ill.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve fallen ill.” Makoto told him. “That must be the explanation. Which reminds me… are you sick too, Ren?”

“No, I’m fine. Why?” Ren asked.

“Really? That’s odd. I thought that I might have caught something from you.” Makoto admitted.

“Well, if you aren’t feeling well, I know a good doctor.” Ren told her. “Wanna get checked out?”

“That might be for the best.” Makoto admitted. “Lead the way.”

* * *

Ren brought her to a small clinic in an alley. It looked a little shady, if she were being honest, but if Ren said it was good, then she was sure it would be fine.

They opened the door, seeing a young woman with blue hair inside.

If it weren’t for the lab coat, she would never have guessed that she was a doctor. She looked more like a goth...

“Hey Doc!” Ren greeted. “Makoto isn’t feeling too well. Could you check up on her?”

“Makoto…” the doctor trailed off. “So you must be the one my little guinea pig keeps muttering about when he's under the influence of my drugs.”

“H-Hey!” Ren stammered. “Does patient confidentiality mean nothing to you?!”

The doctor simply let out a laugh. “I’m Tae Takemi. Why don’t you follow me to the back?”

She did just that, Ren waiting in the front area.

“So… what seems to be the problem?” Takemi asked.

“Well… lately I’ve been feeling a little strange.” Makoto confessed. “My face starts heating up, my stomach feels a little funny, and my heart beats really fast.”

“I see… when did this start happening?” Takemi asked.

“Well, at first I thought that I had caught it from Ren.” Makoto told her. “It normally happens around him.”

Takemi raised her eyebrow. “Is that so…?”

“It tends to happen when he teases me, or when he gets really close to me.” Makoto continued.

The doctor stared at her for a few moments before an amused smile started to play at her lips.

“...Yup, you’re sick alright.” Doctor Takemi bluntly stated.

“W-What?!” she stammered. “It’s not serious, is it?”

“The most serious case I’ve ever seen.” Takemi smirked.

“W-Why are you smiling?! Can you do something to help?!”

“I’m afraid that no doctor or medicine can cure this type of sickness.” Takemi said, holding back a laugh.

“N-No… you can’t cure it? What kind of disease is this?!” she exclaimed.

Takemi smiled. “You’re lovesick.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You. Are. In. Love.” Takemi emphasized.

“I... I…WHAT?!” Makoto gasped, starting to blush.

“I don’t really have anything to help you with your little crush… well, unless you count contraceptives.” Tae said offhandedly.

“C-C-Contraceptives?! Y-You mean for… for… for se-”

“Alright. Calm down.” Takemi urged. “If your face gets any redder, you’ll have steam coming out of your ears.”

“R-Really?” Makoto stammered.

“No. That was a joke.” Tae smiled. “Anyway, if that’s all, then you’re good to go.”

“So I’m not sick at all...I-I am so sorry for wasting your time!” Makoto apologized.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tae said, waving her off. “It was pretty amusing.”

“At least let me pay you!” Makoto insisted.

“No need. I owe my guinea pig a few favors.” Tae told her. “And also…”

“Hmm?”

“Some advice… if you don’t tell him soon, you may end up regretting it later.” Tae told her.

“R-Right…” Makoto mumbled.

She left the room, seeing that Ren was waiting for her.

“Everything ok?” Ren asked.

“Y-Yeah.” she stammered. “I’m healthy. I guess it’s just the summer heat that’s making me uncomfortable.”

Thankfully, Ren seemed to buy it.

He left the clinic, and she moved to follow.

“Good luck!” Takemi called.

She gave a small groan, leaving the clinic.

She said goodbye to Ren and went home, wondering if the doctor was really right about her having a crush…

Ren was her best friend. She couldn’t actually have a crush on him, right…?

* * *

“You said you had some information?”

Tsukasa glanced up from the seat in his club, empty except for him and several gang members glaring at him.

“Tch… you’re just some goons.” Tsukasa muttered. “I said I wanted to talk to the boss.”

“You’re just a damn club host!” the gangster snapped. “What could you possibly have that the Boss needs?”

“How about the name of the prosecutor who’s investigating his gang?” Tsukasa smirked. “Will that do?”

The gang members all seemed surprised. “What?! How the hell… you better not be lying!”

“What, you think I lie to Yakuza bosses for fun? That I have a death wish?” Tsukasa scoffed. “Why the hell would I lie to the man for no reason?!”

The Yakuza members started muttering amongst themselves before turning to face him.

“Follow us.” the man said.

The gang members led him to their car, and they drove off to a hidden away part of Shibuya.

He knew that, recently, there had been mounting pressure from the public for the police to do something about the gangs in Shibuya, and their drug and sex trafficking operations.

A tipping point had been when it had been discovered that high schoolers were getting involved.

So the prosecutor who was investigating them was a major thorn in their side.

He could only hope that the Boss would reward him handsomely for his information.

The Yakuza members escorted him to a small building, one of them knocking on the door.

“Hey, Boss!” one of the goons shouted. “This host says he’s got some information for ya!”

“...Yeah? Then let him in.” a deep voice replied.

Taking a deep breath, Tsukasa cautiously entered the room, coming face to face with perhaps one of the most powerful men in Tokyo. The man who had made Shinjuku and Shibuya his own personal playground, owning several host clubs, including his own.

Junya Kaneshiro.

His confidence instantly faded.

The man was infamous for essentially taking over the criminal underworld in the area. His name was all over the seedier parts of town, and yet, he still had an air of mystery to him.

Occasionally, you’d hear whispers about all of the horrible things that happened to his victims, and how there were no depths he wouldn’t sink too.

Some people even thought that he had special powers. That he could instantly dispose of anyone he wanted without leaving a trace, which was why he was able to become as powerful as he was…

Staring at the man now… he instantly believed every rumor he had heard.

The man was short and overweight, but still managed to come off as intimidating with his ghastly grin that showed all of his unnaturally sharp teeth.

Tsukasa watched as Kaneshiro reached into a box, grabbing a chicken drumstick.

He stuck the drumstick into his mouth, ripping it apart like a wild animal until it was nothing but bone, and flicked it with his finger into a trash can filled with other bones…

“So… I’m told that you’ve got some information for me?” Kaneshiro grinned. “Well? Let’s hear it.”

“W-Well, there’s this girl who goes to Shujin that I was gonna do the whole bottle trick on. Eiko Takao’s her name.” Tsukasa began. “And her family’s loaded!”

“Yeah, no shit.” Kaneshiro scoffed. “Shujin’s a top school. A lot of the kids there have loaded parents. That’s why we’re targeting them.”

“Y-Yeah, but-”

“I _know_ that’s not the only thing you came here to say.” Kaneshiro interrupted. “You’re not that much of a dumbshit to waste my time, right?”

His voice was calm, but carried eerie undertones that promised anyone harm if they angered him.

“Of course not!” Tsukasa quickly said. “I… It’s just… her friend. She has a friend in the same school. Their Student Council President… Makoto Niijima.”

That caught his attention.

“Niijima… Niijima…” Kaneshiro muttered, repeating the name.

Tsukasa looked confused, wondering why the Boss was so fixated on what was arguably the least important bit of information.

“...Tell me something.” Kaneshiro muttered. “This Niijima girl… she have an older sister?”

How did he…?

“Y-Yeah, actually. Said that she’s both her sister and her guardian.” Tsukasa stated. “I guess something must have happened to their parents.”

Kaneshiro’s eyes narrowed.

“B-But wait, that’s not the important part. She said that her sister’s been investigating the gang. She’s the one who interrogated that kid from Shujin that got arrested.” Tsukasa continued. “Her name’s Sae Niijima.”

“We did hear about a damn prosecutor stickin’ their nose in our business, and now all the damn police are after us.” one of the goons next to Kaneshiro scoffed. “Boss, if we nab the younger sister, we can blackmail the older one into calling off the investigation.”

Kaneshiro didn’t respond, appearing lost in thought.

Tsukasa shifted nervously in his spot. “Boss?”

“Just reminiscing.” Kaneshiro grinned.

“Um… come to think of it, how did you know she had a sister?” Tsukasa asked.

“Oh? You’re asking me a question now?” Kaneshiro asked, amused.

“O-Of course not! S-Sorry, Boss!” Tsukasa stammered.

Kaneshiro snapped his fingers, one of his goons bringing him a suitcase.

Tsukasa gulped.

Had he stepped too far out of line?!

Kaneshiro carefully opened up the suitcase, grabbing something inside… and throwing it at Tsukasa’s face.

It took him a moment to register that Kaneshiro had just thrown a large stack of cash at him.

“W-What?” Tsukasa stammered, in disbelief.

“That’s 3 million yen for you.” Kaneshiro grinned. “For the information, and for reminding me of some fun times.”

Tsukasa stood dumbfounded for a few moments before quickly dropping to his knees to grab the money.

He had heard that Kaneshiro loved to flaunt his wealth, but…

“I’ll make that money back and then some if that other bitch’s parents are as loaded as you say they are.”

“You mean Eiko?” Tsukasa asked. “U-Uh, yeah, they should be. From what she told me when I asked, anyway...”

“Good… cause you’re gonna help us grab her.” Kaneshiro commanded, giving a toothy grin.

“W-What?!”

“Quit your stammering. You sound like a pussy.” Kaneshiro advised. “Now listen up. So, we’ve got this rich girl, her friend, and her friend’s older sister, the prosecutor, yeah? Here’s how we’re going to play this…”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 4

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 4

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 3

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 2

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 2

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3


	29. Apathy

**6/7 Thursday**

**Days Until Investigation: 2**

Today was the day.

The day that they would steal Principal Kobayakawa’s heart.

She had been sure to arrive at school a few hours early, several calling cards in hand, as well as a few lockpicks.

She cautiously made her way inside of the building. Thankfully, it seemed that she was one of the only people there, making it easy to sneak around.

She didn’t want this incident to draw much attention, so she made her way to the principal’s office with only one calling card.

The door was predictably locked.

“Morgana.” she whispered. “Keep a lookout.”

“Got it!” the not-cat nodded.

She quickly picked the lock and slipped inside of the office.

“Now the desk.” Makoto muttered to herself.

She walked towards the desk, picking the lock on the drawer as well.

She could feel her nerves starting to act up, so she took a deep breath to try and calm herself down.

“Now or never, Makoto.” she muttered, trying to be strong.

She concentrated on the lock, carefully picking at it while keeping her ears open.

Each second that passed made her feel a little more tense.

Finally, she managed to open the drawer.

“Now what could he be hiding…” she muttered.

She reached into the drawer, pulling out a bunch of documents.

“These must be important…” she realized.

She started to skim through the documents, looking for anything that she might find interesting.

One of the typed documents immediately caught her attention.

_You are not to interfere. Let Kaneshiro do as he wants. We need his funding._

“Who wrote this?” she wondered. “And who’s Kaneshiro?”

She tried to read more, but Morgana rushed into the room.

“We need to hurry!” Mona cried. “Someone’s coming!”

She began to panic, quickly putting the documents back in the drawer, leaving it open and placing a calling card on top.

“Through the window!” Morgana called, leaping next to her. “Hurry!”

She quickly opened the window, slipping out of the office and closing it again, Morgana right behind her.

“Let’s listen in.” Morgana whispered. “We need to make sure he sees the calling card.”

She listened as the door to the office opened, the principal stepping into the room.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the principal cried. “What happened to my door?”

She heard Kobayakawa march inside of his office, gasping as he approached his desk.

“T-This is… a calling card?!” the principal gasped.

_Sir Kobayakawa, the principal of apathy,_

_You have stood by and watched as the students you were mentally, physically, and sexually abused, knowingly ignoring their cries for help and putting them in danger. Even now, you look the other way as gang members take advantage of your students, due to caring more about your reputation than their lives and futures._

_For your callous and deprived actions, we, The Phantom Thieves, shall steal your heart and make you confess to your crimes._

“H-How dare they!” the principal snapped. “Whoever placed this… they’ve opened my desk as well!”

She could hear him shuffling through all of the papers in his drawers.

“We need to get going soon.” Mona advised. “That should have done the trick.”

She nodded, slowly following Mona towards the others.

“No… no! This can’t be! Why me?! Why me?!” the principal cried, beginning to panic.

 _Those damn Phantom Thieves!_ the principal thought. _They’ve ruined everything! I have to deal with them now! I won’t let them stand in my way!_

* * *

She made her way to an alley, the other Phantom Thieves already waiting for her.

“Did it work?” Ryuji asked.

She nodded. “He saw the calling card. Let’s go.”

They wasted no time going back to Kobayakawa’s palace… only to gasp at what they saw.

“T-The entire town is on fire!” Makoto cried.

“Seeing that calling card must have had a really big effect on the palace!” Mona theorized.

“Quick! Let’s get back to the shrine!” Ren called. “Hurry!”

They ran as fast as they could, avoiding any of the guards in their path.

“Find those Thieves!” one of the gladiators cried. “Our lord said he doesn’t care if we have to burn down the entire town to find them!”

She tried not to look at the town burning around her as they continued running towards the citadel.

* * *

They arrived at the secret shrine, seeing Kobayakawa with his back turned towards them, and his desk still opened.

“Look at them all…” Kobayakawa muttered, glaring at the statues in front of him. “They think they’re so much better than I am.”

“...Are those your superiors?” Queen asked.

“They think that I’m just some kind of laughingstock!” Kobayakawa cried. “That I’m nothing but a pawn! Lower than some pathetic Yakuza thug!”

“Yakuza thug?” Ann questioned. “What are you talking about?!”

“I can’t lift a finger to stop those gang members from hurting my school’s reputation!” the principal snapped. “My superiors need the funding which those gang members provide. They used to just get funding from that hack of an artist, but they can’t do that anymore!”

“Hack of a… do you mean Madarame?” Yusuke asked.

“Yes, of course I do! Now that they can’t squeeze money from him, the gang is targeting my school!” Kobayakawa cried. “You… you damn Thieves have ruined my life! Everything’s gone horrible for me since you came into the picture! First you went after Kamoshida, then you went after Madarame, causing those gang members to chase after me! All of this suffering is your fault!”

“Don’t act all high and mighty with us!” Ann snapped. “You didn’t give a damn when Kamoshida was abusing the students!”

“Those students should know their place.” Kobayakawa ranted. “Kamoshida was in charge of them. He made the school what it is today! He was a good man!”

All the Thieves stood in shock at the principal’s ranting.

“What? No more insults for the man?” the principal scoffed.

Queen’s eyes narrowed, sending a fierce glare the principal’s way.

“No insult or condemnation we have for Kamoshida would ever be as damning to his character as your approval.” Makoto snapped.

“...And what’s that supposed to mean?!” the principal shouted.

“You. Are. Pathetic.” Makoto emphasized. “Desperate to retain any little amount of authority you can.”

“How dare you!” Kobayakawa roared. “You… don’t you dare… look down on me!”

“Everyone! Be careful!” Mona warned.

“Everyone… everyone! They all look down on me!” Kobayakawa yelled. “But I won’t stand for this any longer!”

Kobayakawa dissolved into a red and black ooze and began to transform into a grotesque demon twice their size. His head transformed into that of a boar, sharp tusks on the sides of his face. He wore a red crown atop his head, and a red cape.

He also had the chest of a man with two muscular arms.

Finally, his lower body resembled that of a dinosaur, four legs stomping on the ground and a spiked tail flailing around.

His entire body was a dark yellow, except for a light blue armored underbelly.

“Revere me. Envy me. Worship me!” Kobayakawa commanded in a demonic voice.

“Hell no!” Ryuji snapped. “There isn’t anything to worship about you!”

Skull immediately rushed the shadow, but Kobayakawa grabbed his desk and jumped into the air, breaking through the ceiling of the shrine and landing on the roof.

“Why should I lower myself into fighting vermin like you?!” the principal exclaimed.

“He’s trying to run off with the treasure!” Fox yelled.

“After him!” Queen ordered.

They ran out of the room, pursuing Kobayakawa.

“I am so sick and tired of chasing people!” Ann shouted.

They made their way out of the secret shine to see Kobayakawa jump into the air and land on the ceiling of the temple in the middle of the citadel.

“Over there!” Skull pointed out. “Let’s get that fat bastard!”

“Still chasing me, are you?!” the shadow scoffed. “Fine then! I’ll just have to put you in your place.”

“Our weapons won’t reach him when he’s on the ceiling.” Makoto realized. “We need to focus on using guns and magic.”

Skull and Fox fired their guns, but they bounced harmlessly off of the shadow’s armored hide.

“You are beneath me!” the principal snapped.

He reached into his desk, pulling out a scepter.

“I’ll show you just how superior I am!” the principal claimed, waving his scepter.

Lightning bolts came out of the scepter, blasting at them from above.

“Fight back, everyone!” Makoto encouraged. “Skull, intercept those lightning bolts!”

Ryuji fired his own Zio spells into the shadow’s, clearing the way for the rest of them to fire off their own spells.

Kobayakawa grunted in pain as the attacks collided with him.

“Servants! Kill them now!” Kobayakawa commanded. “And bring me my tribute!”

Several Phoenixes rushed into the building, assaulting them with Freila spells.

While they were distracted, another phoenix brought a large barrel brimming with food over to Kobayakawa.

He greedily snatched the barrel, holding it above his head before dumping it into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.

“Ahh! Now that hit the spot!” the shadow grinned, smacking its stomach with its hand.

“Ugh… you disgusting pig!” Ann yelled.

“No way… his wounds are healing!” Morgana called out.

Queen glanced upwards, seeing all the damage they had done had been healed.

“We need someone to burst those barrels…” Queen muttered.

“Weren’t those from the shrine from earlier?” Ann asked. “The one where you guys were hiding in barrels to get into?”

“That’s right.” Makoto nodded.

She glanced around the temple, her eyes landing on Joker firing at one of the phoenixes.

She rushed over, firing several shots of her own until the phoenix fell.

“Joker.” she quickly whispered. “Go and smash all of the barrels of food here.”

Joker nodded, looking for an opportunity to sneak off.

While the hole in the temple’s ceiling was large, it wasn’t large enough for Kobayakawa to see everything on the ground at once.

Even so, they couldn’t have him suspecting anything.

“Everyone, attack!” Queen ordered.

Fox charged one of the phoenixes, dodging its strike at the last moment before slashing its wing, causing it to fall to the ground, where Ann finished it with an Agi spell.

Ryuji continued to intercept the lightning, but she knew that they wouldn’t win in a battle of attrition.

“Flauros!” Makoto called. “Giant Slice!”

Her Persona sliced through the other phoenix, dispatching them.

“Are these the best guards I have?!” Kobayakawa roared. “I need-GAH!”

Morgana fired a burst of wind, damaging the principal.

“I need more tribute!” the principal cried.

They suddenly heard a scream, and another phoenix came rushing out of the inner parts of the temple, its body covered in black flames.

It let out a final scream before dissolving into ooze.

“What the...HEY!” Kobayakawa shouted. “Wait a moment! Where’d that scruffy-haired delinquent with the clown shoes go?!”

“Right here!”

Ren emerged, dragging a barrel filled to the brim with food.

“Looking for this?” Ren smirked. “I already burst all the other barrels.”

“Youuuu…” Kobayakawa muttered. “Give that back!”

“Why don’t you come and get it!” Ren yelled, tipping over the barrel and spilling its contents onto the floor.

“Noooo!” Kobayakawa cried. “My tributes!”

The principal slammed his feet on the roof in rage, unknowingly damaging it in the process.

More and more cracks began to form on the ceiling until it began to collapse, bringing Kobayakawa with it.

“Time for Humpty Dumpty to take his fall!” Joker yelled.

Everyone cleared out of the way as Kobayakawa fell to the ground, the impact knocking them off of their feet.

“Urrgh…” Ryuji grumbled, rubbing his head. “Wait, where’s the-”

*Slam*

The desk fell to the ground nearby.

“The treasure!” Mona cried.

“H-Hold on.” Makoto panted. “Is the principal…?

They looked at the lying form of the principal, collapsed in the center of the room, eyes closed.

She cautiously watched him as she slowly walked towards the treasure…

And then gasped as his eyes suddenly opened.

“Queen! Get back!” Joker called.

She jumped away as a hand reached for her, the principal starting to pull himself up.

“Just stay down!” Skull shouted, running towards the shadow.

“Skull, stop!” Makoto warned.

“Relax! I’ve got this!” Ryuji grinned before slamming his weapon into the principal’s side.

The principal recoiled in pain, but swiftly recovered, turning to slam his tail against Ryuji.

Ryuji landed several feet away, groaning.

Before any of them could go over to help him, however, the principal wrapped his tail around Ryuji’s leg, tossing him into the wall.

“Skull!” Ann cried.

She glared angrily at the principal, flinging a Agi spell at him before he could continue his assault on Ryuji.

“Squeal like a pig!” Ann shouted, whipping the principal over and over.

“Grrah! Guards! Where are you?!” Kobayakawa exclaimed.

Two Lamias immediately rushed into the temple and flanked him, providing backup.

They slashed at Panther, causing her to retreat.

The principal took a deep breath before breathing a stream of fire, forcing them back and catching the ground ablaze.

“Mona, blow back that fire!” Makoto ordered.

Morgana fired off the strongest Garu spell he could muster, blowing the fire towards their foes and forcing them closer together.

“Johanna!” Makoto called.

Makoto fired a Mafrei spell on their foes, blasting them all with an explosion of nuclear energy.

One of the Lamias managed to avoid the worst of it, but the other one, as well as Kobayakawa, weren't so lucky.

Despite the principal taking the brunt of the explosion, he was still standing.

“Did you really believe… that that would be enough to stop me?!” Kobayakawa yelled. “You don’t seem to realize just how much more powerful I am than you!”

“I can’t tell what’s bigger, his ego or his belly.” Mona snarked.

“Say whatever you want.” Kobayakawa scoffed. “I don’t care about what people with no power have to say, and neither does the rest of the world!”

The principal glanced around, spying the damaged Lamia on the ground, nearly defeated.

He grabbed the downed shadow, raising it to his mouth before biting it.

The shadow cried out in pain before dissolving into a black ooze that flowed into Kobayakawa’s mouth.

“What the hell?!” Ren exclaimed, his expression a mixture of shock and disgust.

“Ugh, he’s healing again!” Morgana pointed out.

Sure enough, after eating the Lamia, his wounds started to heal again.

“When you’re strong… you can do anything!” the principal declared. “And the weak must obey!”

 _What the hell,_ Makoto thought, gritting her teeth. _How can we deal with his constant healing?_

“Don’t you understand how powerful I am?!” the principal boasted. “How many people I have at my beck and call?!”

“Urgh… this fight is gonna go on forever at this rate.” Morgana groaned. “I hope you have a plan, Queen.”

She tried to focus, despite her exhaustion at the long battle.

 _He eats his minions when he takes damage,_ Makoto mused. _So maybe…_

“Panther, think you can burn the other Lamia?” Queen asked.

“I’m on it!” Panther answered.

Panther snuck off, hoping to get a good shot in.

Kobayakawa started stomping the ground, creating shockwaves that forced them back.

“We need to get close to him!” Makoto ordered. “Joker, weaken him!”

“On it!” Joker nodded. “Tarunda!”

The principal found his strength lowered, giving the Thieves time to rush him.

“Everyone! Strike as hard as you can!” Makoto shouted.

They fired as many spells as they could, bombarding the principal with Eiha, Bufu, Garu, and Frei spells.

Kobayakawa winced, but quickly countered by blowing fire.

Ann took her chance, firing an Agi spell at the Lamia, causing it to cry out in pain as it began to burn.

After forcing them back with his flames, the principal grabbed the downed Lamia, biting and eating it in one gulp.

However, instead of healing his wounds, the principal clutched his stomach in pain.

“O-Oh… h-heartburn…” the principal groaned.

The burns from the Lamia seemed to spread to him from the inside, bringing him to his knees.

“Everyone! Now’s our chance for an All-Out Attack!” Makoto declared.

Everyone struck at once, giving the principal no chance to escape.

Makoto jumped into the air, ready to deliver the final blow.

“Flauros! Giant Slice!” she cried, slicing the principal from head to toe.

The principal roared in pain before falling to the ground, covered in injuries.

The group took a moment to catch their breath.

Despite the damage he had sustained, the principal still wasn’t beaten, slowly rising to his feet before charging.

“Panther! Look out!” Mona called out.  
The principal was charging straight towards Ann, not leaving her enough time to dodge.

“You… you and your friend ruined everything for me!” Kobayakawa screamed. “If you had just kept quiet… if your friend hadn’t tried to kill her himself… if she had SUCCEEDED in killing herself… none of this would have happened!”

Queen rushed to try to help Panther, but she wasn’t fast enough to catch up.

“I’m not going down alone… If I’m going down, I’ll drag you down with me!” Kobayakawa declared.

“BURN IN HELL!” Panther cried, conjuring a humongous ball of fire. “AGILAO!”

Ann channeled all of her rage into a fire so intense that it began to melt the skin off of the shadow.

“GRAAAAAHHHHH!” Kobayakawa cried, his giant boar form melting away, revealing his regular shadow form collapsed on the ground.

The battle now over, Panther walked over to the principal while Mona went over Ryuji to heal him.

Panther grabbed the principal by his toga and lifted him into the air.

“I’m sick of taking orders from a big, bloated gasbag like you!” Panther snapped. “So now you’re going to listen to me!”

“I-I’ll do whatever you ask!” the principal stammered. “J-Just don’t kill me!”

“You’re going to confess all of your crimes!” Panther ordered.

“B-But what have I done wrong?!” the principal exclaimed.

“What do you mean?!” Queen shouted. “The reason that Kamoshida was able to get away with what he did was because of you! Your apathy and callousness for the suffering of your students is part of why this went on for so long! It’s why we had to step in!”

“You think I was the only one who was apathetic?!” Kobayakawa countered. “People like Kamoshida… they were able to do what they were able to do because no one stood up to them! Not the staff, not the parents, not the students… no one!”

“I tried!” Ryuji snapped. “But I… wasn’t able to do anything until I became a Phantom Thief!”

“Of course not.” the principal muttered. “The strong dominate the weak. That’s how the world works, and this entire world is apathetic to it!”

The principal grit his teeth, sorrow evident in his face.

“You think changing my heart will change anything?!” he continued. “People like me or Kamoshida aren’t the problem… it’s the fault of a society that enables us!”

Makoto frowned. Surely, that wasn’t really the case, was it?

Could all of the horrible things they've seen really be a part of a larger problem…?

“Stop making excuses!” Ren shouted. “It’s time for you to admit to your crimes!”

The principal stared at Ren, his eyes narrowing.

“You… you’re the transfer student.” Kobayakawa realized. “It looks like… accepting you into my school was a mistake.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked.

“The only reason I accepted a delinquent like you was because I owed my superiors a couple favors.” the principal scoffed. “They wanted me to keep an eye on you.”

“Keep an eye… on me?” Ren repeated. “Why?

“How should I know!” the principal snapped. “All I know is that they wanted you monitored. That you were a threat…”

 _A threat,_ Makoto mused. _Why would his superiors consider Ren a threat?”_

“Just who are your superiors?” Yusuke asked.

“I… I can’t tell you!” the principal stammered. “I can’t!”

“Queen, the desk is empty!” Mona called. “The treasure must be that scepter.

Queen nodded, grabbing the principal’s scepter and pointing it at him. “You need to repent for your sins. You owe it to your students.”

“Y-Yes… I know.” the principal relented. “I… I’ll turn myself into the police. I’ll… be safe with them...”

“Be safe?” Makoto repeated. “Why would you-”

“Queen, we need to get out of here!” Morgana warned. “This palace is starting to collapse!”

She nodded, dashing out of the temple with the others as Kobayakawa’s shadow, and his palace, began to disappear…

* * *

“Everyone ok?” Makoto asked as they arrived in the real world.

“Yeah, I’m good. I just wish I had been more helpful.” Ryuji groaned.

“You just charged right in? What were you expecting?” Morgana chided.

“I’m f-fine too.” Ann stammered, clearly exhausted. “S-So, did it work? Did we… steal his heart?”

“It’ll take a bit for the change of heart to fully take effect.” Morgana told her. “For now, we wait.”

“If it’s anything like Kamoshida or Madarame, he probably will start feeling strange and take a few days off until he’s ready to confess.” Ren added.

“So, is his treasure still that rod thing, or did it turn into somethin’ else?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s… an award.” Makoto said, showing them the principal’s treasure.

It was a large, shining trophy, much like the ones in the principal’s office.

“It’s probably… the first award that this school received.” Makoto realized. “He… probably saw it as his first award as well.”

“... Thankfully, it seems that not much time has passed.” Yusuke observed. “We should be able to arrive at school quick enough to not arouse suspicion.”

“Then after school’s over, we can celebrate another successful infiltration and a new member!” Ryuji grinned. “Just too bad that we won’t get too much attention for this.”

“We aren’t doing this for fame.” she frowned.

“I-I know that!” Ryuji stammered. “I was just saying.”

“Anyway, I’ll pawn off at the trophy at that one store then.” Yusuke offered. “My school is a ways away, after all.”

“Thank you, Yusuke.” she expressed, handing him the trophy.”

As Yusuke left, she turned to address the others.

“Let’s go in at different times to not make the staff suspicious.” Makoto said. “I’ll go first.”

She stepped inside of the school, noting that it was still a little early.

“Niijima-san!”

She turned around, seeing the vice principal running up to her.

“Niijima-san, do you know what happened to the principal?!” the vice principal asked.

“Did something happen to him?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

“He just ran out of the school, clutching something in his hand!” the vice principal exclaimed.

 _That must have been the calling card,_ Makoto mused.

“Did he say anything to you?” Makoto asked.

“He just called me!” the vice principal told her. “He said that he wasn’t feeling well.”

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid that I don’t know.” Makoto expressed.

The vice principal sighed. “Well… try to handle all of your council business for now and assist the student body.”

“Of course, sir.” she nodded.

As the vice principal walked off, she let out a small smile.

Their plan had succeeded.

* * *

After school ended, the group decided to use their new funds to go to an expensive sushi bar in Ginza.

“Oooooh man, this flounder is _amazing….”_ Ryuji moaned.

“I-I don’t see any prices listed here…” Yusuke frowned.

“It’s called market price, I believe.” Makoto informed him. “For restaurants, it’s typically used for dishes that have ingredients that constantly change in price. They don’t want to have to constantly print new menus.”

“It’s fine, we totally have the cash for this!” Ann grinned. “Let’s dig in!”

“Sounds good to me!” Morgana grinned, happily eating the sushi Makoto snuck to him.

“Shh!” Makoto hushed. “They don’t let pets in here.”

“I’m not a p-GAH!”

She sighed, covering Morgana’s mouth so that he wouldn’t alert the other customers.

She continued to eat in silence as the other’s conversed around her.

“The food’s really good, right Makoto?” Ren asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it is…” she replied.

“...Everything ok?” Ren asked.

“I was just wondering about something the principal said.” Makoto told him. “About how… apathetic society is, and how they enable people like him.”

“Bah, he was just trying to shift the blame.” Ryuji shrugged. “Even if it’s true, we have the power to change society, cause we’re the Phantom Thi-

*Smack*

Ann quickly smacked the back of Ryuji’s head, stopping him from speaking.

“Pay attention to where we are!” Ann snapped.

“Yeah… my bad.” Ryuji muttered. “It just kind of slipped out. But can you blame me? I’m just so excited about what happened.”

“I guess I can’t blame you for being excited.” Ann admitted. “I’m happy that everything worked out too.”

Ann glanced at the rest of them, a huge grin on her face.

“Thank you all so much.” Ann beamed. “Without you guys, things would have never turned out like this…”

“We’re happy to help.” Makoto replied, smiling back. “You’re our friend, Takamaki-san.”

As the group continued to talk to each other, she could feel their bond as a team growing stronger.

**FORTUNE CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

* * *

“So, you really did target him.” Sae muttered. “At first, we did suspect you, but… after what happened, we assumed that you were framed.”

“We did change his heart.” Makoto confessed. “But we didn’t do anything else.”

“...I suppose that checks out.” Sae admitted. “You were in Hawaii at the time of the... incident.”

“Speaking of Hawaii, have you looked inside of my bag?” Makoto asked. “There’s a Tiki Charm that I got from Hawaii inside.”

“What about it?” Sae asked.

“I know you need to look through my things, but can you… be careful with it?” Makoto asked. “It means a lot to me.”

“I did notice that you had a strange charm.” Sae brought up. “Was it a gift?”

“Yes.” she confirmed. “My boyfriend got it for me.”

“Ah, of course.” Sae nodded. “Now then, what happened next?”

“...Well, as I was saying-”

*SLAM*

“Wait, what?!” Sae cut her off. “D-Did you… did you just say…?”

“What?” Makoto asked.

“Y-You…” Sae stammered. “You have a b-boy-”

“I have a boyfriend, yes.” Makoto repeated. “Although, we weren't dating at the time.”

“Who? How? When? Why?!” Sae exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table. “Why was I not informed of this?”

“...I didn’t feel comfortable talking to you about something like that.” Makoto pointed out. “I think that, after a certain point… talking to you became something to dread.”

“Makoto…” Sae trailed off. “That… never mind about that. Your boyfriend. Who is he? Is he a Phantom Thief?”

“I’ll get to that later.” Makoto told her. “When we get to that part of my story.”

“There’s nothing you can tell me about him right now?” Sae requested.

Makoto sighed. “He’s very kind, smart, has a strong sense of justice, he listens to what I have to say, treats me as an equal… and not a burden.”

She watched her sister shift a little in her seat.

“That argument we had is still affecting you.” Sae muttered.

“Talking to you… at times, it felt like walking through a minefield.” Makoto admitted. “Like one wrong step would set you off…”

Sae didn’t respond.

“I feel like… things haven’t been the same between us… since what happened 3 years ago…” Makoto replied. “So much has happened since then…”

“I suppose so…” Sae nodded. “We’ve both changed since that day, haven’t we?”

“Yeah… I remember when you used to talk about how you’d become a prosecutor to help reform the system for the better… and now you’re working with the people who hid the truth behind father’s death.” Makoto accused. “What happened?”

“...I grew up.” Sae bluntly stated, not denying her accusation. “I grew up… and realized that there’s no justice in this world.”

She stared right at her elder sister… and saw the slightest hint of sorrow in her expression.

**JUDGEMENT CONFIDANT: RANK 3**

“All right then… let’s continue with what happened after Kobayakawa’s change of heart… and your next target…” Sae said.

The already tense atmosphere seemed to grow even more intense.

Both of them knew what was coming up next.

“Junya Kaneshiro…” Sae trailed off. “The man responsible for our father’s death…”

* * *

Makoto’s Confidant Progress:

THE FOOL - Ren Amamiya: Rank 4

THE HUNGER - Igor: Rank 4

THE CHARIOT - Ryuji Sakamoto: Rank 3

THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 4

THE FAITH - Eiko Takao: Rank 4

THE TOWER - Chiaki Yasui: Rank 4

THE SUN - Shiho Suzui: Rank 3

THE MOON - Takayo Tachibana: Rank 3

THE HIEROPHANT - Sojiro Sakura: Rank 3

THE TEMPERANCE - Naoya Makigami: Rank 2

THE EMPEROR - Yusuke Kitagawa: Rank 1

THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1

THE STRENGTH - Caroline and Justine: Rank 2

THE JUSTICE - Goro Akechi: Rank 1

THE FORTUNE - Phantom Thieves of Heart: Rank 3

THE JUDGEMENT - Sae Niijima: Rank 3

THE COUNCILLOR - Takuto Maruki: Rank 3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The fools gambit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315968) by [Happenstance93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happenstance93/pseuds/Happenstance93)




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